TAILORING TECHNIQUES

A CONSTRUCTION GUIDE FOR WOMEN'S WEAR

ROBERTO CABRERA /PATRICIA FLAHERTY MEYER

 Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012

http://archive.org/details/classictailoringOOcabr
 CLASSIC
TAILORING TECHNIQUES:
A CONSTRUCTION GUIDE FOR
WOMEN'S WEAR
 CLASSIC
TAILORING TECHNIQUES:
A CONSTRUCTION GUIDE FOR
WOMEN'S WEAR

Roberto Cabrera
Assistant Professor
Fashion Design Department
Fashion Institute of Technology

Patricia Flaherty Meyers

Fairchild Publications

New York
 1

Book Design by Catherine Gallagher

Barbara Woolworth

Photographs by Gustavo Candelas

Illustrations by Roberto Cabrera

Copyright® 1984, Fairchild Publications

Division of Capital Cities Media, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

in any form without permission writing from the publisher, except by
in
a reviewer who wishes to quote sources in connection with a review
written for inclusion in a magazine or newspaper.

Standard Book Number: 87005-435-X

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 84-80058

Printed in the United States of America

FIT.
COLLECTION
To my family, Elvira, Robert and Liliana.
R.C.

To Jonathan, my husband — my joy.

P.F.M.
 Preface
When I took my first tailoring course with Roberto Cabrera, and
watched him so transform a length of fabric into a beautifully
effortlessly
living suit, was both delighted and overwhelmed. What Professor Cabrera
I

was offering to us was the sum total of his forty years of tailoring
experience— construction techniques nowhere detailed in the available
tailoring textbooks.
The question was how to absorb all of this information before it

disappeared again at the end of the course.

This book, Classic Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for
Women's Wear is our joint attempt to present these tailoring techniques in
a detailedand precise manner, so that they can be understood and
—
performed by any serious student from novice tailors to home sewers
ready for the next challenge.
This book is and an expansion of our earlier work, Classic
a sequel to
Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for Men's Wear. Since wom-
en's tailoring is an adaptation of an art which originally belonged exclu-
sively to men's wear, many construction procedures outlined in our first

book are repeated here with only slight adjustments— pockets, lapels,
vents, etc.
We and for
include construction techniques for three jacket styles,
three variations on the straight skirt, in order to respond to the almost
endless variety of style and detail in women's wear. To afford yourself the
best opportunity for success, we suggest that you complete the construc-
tion of the classic jacket and the basic straight skirt before moving on to the
variations of each.
Although pattemmaking is an integral part of the art of tailoring, this
book, as its title indicates, concentrates on the construction techniques
used in classic tailoring and deals with pattemmaking only indirectly in
Chapters 2, The Pattern, and 3, The Fit.

We offer our sincere gratitude to those students and colleagues whose

encouragement and assistance facilitated the presentation of this work-
Patricia De Georges, Sarita de Castro, Mary Gray, Suzanne Galimir, Coli
Cabrera, Joan Kinateder, Edward Barnes, Betty Novak and her students at
Sew and Show, On-ke Wilde, Steven Stipelman, Randy Dana, and Orchard
Street's S. Beckenstein Inc. A
word of thanks to William Fioravanti
special
Inc., and to Robin Ryan and Dara Lamb of Darabin Ltd., who most
graciously allowed us to photograph their work.

1984 Patricia Flaherty Meyers

 . 121 . 7

Contents
1. TAILORING 1 10. Hips 17
General Tailoring Supplies 2 1 1 Skirt Length 1
"
Understructure Supplies 4 12. The Fly 18
Hand Stitching 5 13. Pants Inseam 18
Saddle Stitch 5 14. Pants Outseam 18
Prick Stitch 5 15. Knee Width 18
Back Stitch 5 16. Width of Pants at Hem 18
Running Stitch 5 The Muslin Fitting 19
Slip Stitch 6 The Muslin Jacket 20
Cross Stitch 6 Lapels— Too Wide/Too
Double Cross Stitch 6 Narrow 20
Overcast Stitch / Whip Stitch 6 Lapels— Too Long/Too
Diagonal Stitch / Pad Stitch 6 Short 21
Blanket Stitch 6 Jacket Balance 21
Hem Stitch 6 Stooped Posture 22
Pressing Supplies 7 Overly Erect Posture 22
Pressing Techniques 8 Low Shoulder 23
Tailoring Supply Sources 8 Bust— Very Full 26
Bust— Very Flat 27
2. THE PATTERN 9 Misplaced Front Dart 28
The Jacket Pattern 9 Front Dart— Too Long/Too
The Skirt Pattern 1 Short 29
The Pants Pattern 1 Too Loose/Too Tight Above
Preliminary Pattern Waist 30
Adjustments 1 Too Loose/Too Tight Below
1. Jacket Roll Line 12 Waist 31
2. Shoulder Seams 12 Shoulder— Too Wide/Too
3. Vents 12 Narrow 32
4. Revised Facing Pattern 13 Sloped Shoulder 33
5. Pants Cuffs 14 Square Shoulder 34
Lengthening or Shortening Neckline— Too High/Too
Patterns 14 Low 35
Tight Neckline 36
3. THE FIT 15 Loose Neckline 36
Measurements 15 Armhole— Too High/Too
How to Take Measurements 16 Low 37
Center Back/Neck to
1 The Muslin Skirt 38
Waist 16 Too Tight/Too Loose
2. Center Back/Neck to Across Hips 39
Hip 16 Waistband— Too Loose/Too
3. Back 16 Tight 40
4. Shoulder 16 Waistline— Too Little/Too Much
5. Sleeve Length 16 Ease 41
6. Bust 17 Swayback 42
7. Bust Level 17 One Hip Higher than
8. Waist 17 the Other 44
9. Hip Level 17 Hips Thrust Forward 44
 Flat Seat 44 Assembling the Canvas and
Protruding Stomach/ Jacket 103
Buttocks 45 Padstitching the Lapels 107
The Muslin Pants 46 The Taping 110
Waistband— Too Loose/Too First Fitting 113
Tight 47 The Facing 114
Waistline— Too Little/Too Much Attaching Facing by
Ease 48 Machine 115
Too Tight Across Hips 49 Attaching Facing by
Too Loose Across Hips 50 Hand 121
Protruding High Hips 51 The Facing Pocket 125
Crotch— Too Short/Too The Lining 1 28
Long 51 The Lining Pocket 134
Bowlegs/Knock-knees 52 The Shoulder Seams 1 36

Flat Seat 54 The Shoulder Pads 137

Prominent Seat 55 Inserting Shoulder Pads 140
Protruding Stomach 56 The Collar 142
Rise— Too Long/Too Short 56 Constructing the
Undercollar 144
4. FABRIC 57 Constructing the
Selecting the Fabric 57 Topcollar 150
Properties of Woven Fabrics 58 Plaid and Striped Collars 155
The Grain 58 The Collar Draft 156
Straightening the Grain 60 The Sleeve 162
Shrinkage 61 Reinforcing the Armholes 162
The Nap 62 The Muslin Sleeve 164
The Sleeve Vents 168
5. LAYOUT/CUTTING 63 Sleeves without Vents 1 70
Oaktag Patterns 63 Lining the Sleeve 1 70
Chalkmarking, Cutting, Tailor Setting the Sleeve 173
Tacking 66 Tacking the Armholes 174
Plaids or Stripes 70 The Sleeve Head 176
The Plaid Sleeve 177
6. JACKETS 76 Buttons and Buttonholes 177
Darts and Seams 76 Constructing the Buttonholes 179
The Jacket Pockets 78 The Handworked
The Welt Pocket 78 Buttonhole 179
Welt Pocket (Plaids/Stripes) 83 The Bound Keyhole
The Double-Piping Pocket 83 Buttonhole 181
Double-piping Pocket The Bias Bound
(Plaids/Stripes) 88 Buttonhole 182
The Cash Pocket 89 Setting the Buttons 184
The Double-piping Pocket with Final Pressing 186
Flap 91 The Unlined Jacket 187
Double-piping Pocket with Flap Darts in the Unlined
(Plaids/Stripes) 94 Jacket 187
The Patch Pocket 95 Pockets in the Unlined
Patch Pocket (Plaids/Stripes) 99 Jacket 188
Preparing the Canvas 100 The Facing in the Unlined
The Pad Stitch 102 Jacket 191
 Covering Shoulder Pads in Assembling Skirt and
the Unlined Jacket 191 Skirt Lining 244
The Peplum Jacket 194 The Grosgrain
The Full Canvas Waistband 245
Interlining 195
The Peplum 196 8. PANTS 248
The Peplum The Pants Pockets 248
Reinforcement 197 The Slant Pocket 249
Assembling the Peplum The Side Pocket 253
Jacket 198 The Western Pocket 257
The Peplum Jacket Lining 201 The Back Pocket 262
The Mandarin Collar 203 The Pants Fly 265
Constructing the Mandarin The Pants Side Seams 268
Collar 205 Belt Loops 270
Attaching the Mandarin The Pants Waistband 271
Collar 206 The Pants Lining 272
The Peplum Jacket Sleeve 207 The Pants Hem 274
The Heel Stay 275
7. SKIRTS 208 The Pants Cuffs 276
1 . Basic Straight Skirt 208 Pleated Pants 277
Curved Double-Piping Skirt

Pocket 212 9. ALTERATIONS 282

Side Zipper Closing 218 Tapering the Jacket Lapels 282
Hong Kong Piping Hem Adjusting the Sleeve Length 284
Finish 219 Re-lining the Jacket 286
Overlap Vent at Center Altering the Jacket Width 287
Back 221 Altering Skirts 289
The Skirt Hem 222 Adjusting the Pants Waistline 289
Waistband backed with Tapering the Pants Leg 290
Grosgrain Ribbon 224 Adjusting the Pants Length 290
2. Straight Skirt with
Shirring 226 PATTERNS 291
Kick Pleat at Center Western Yoke 291
Back 227 Western Facing 293
The Crescent Pocket 229 Western Shaper 293
Shirring at the Center Back Pocket Piping 295
Front 232 Slant Yoke 295
Assembling Skirt and Side & Slant Pocket Facing 297
Skirt Lining 232 Back Pocket Facing 297
The Self-backed Shoulder Pad 299
Waistband 234 Crescent Pocket Yoke 301
3. with Pleats
Skirt 236 Crescent Pocket Facing 303
Three Pleats from Waist to Hem Facing Pocket 305
at Left Front 236
The Side Seam Pocket 241 About the Authors 307
Courtesy of Darabin Limited and William Fioravanti Inc.
1 Tailoring
The art of tailoring can be traced back at sharp, without noticeable bulk. The collar, and
least to the fourteenth century, when it became allcurved edges of the garment were to incline
fashionable in Europe to add an underlayer of ever so slightly inward toward the body, a grace-
padding in the chest area of men's jackets. ful avoidance of the awkward, upward curl of
Rather than taking its form from the contours of collar tips and pocket flaps. Pockets were never
the wearer's body, the garment fabric was cut to gape open when not in use, and vents were
and carefully shaped to fit over the padded form. expected to lie flat and firm. The result was a
Through the ages the padding was extended, clean definition of design lines, a controlled yet
according to fashion, to the sleeves, the shoul- graceful presentation of the garment fabric, im-
ders, even to the stomach area. The padded peccable fit, form and detail.

understructure provided what was considered to The construction techniques presented in

be improvements over the contours of the body. this book and practiced today, with minor varia-
It also enabled the garment fabric to lie neatly, tions, by the finest tailors all over the world, have
relatively unaffected by the body's wrinkling changed very little in the past 100 years. Al-
movements. though new machines and new methods of
The construction techniques developed to fusing layers of fabric together offer today's tailor
create these structured garments were quite dif- speedy alternatives to time consuming hand-
ferent from those used to produce shirts and work, relatively few of these faster methods
dresses. By the sixteenth century the makers of have been adopted by custom tailors. The sew-
men's jackets had formed a separate branch of ing machine is used for almost all seams and
the clothing makers' guilds, complete with pre- darts, but almost 75 percent of all stitches in a
cise specifications for the quality and color of custom-tailored suit are still done by hand, to
padding materials and linings for gentlemen's silk ensure the most accurate shaping of the fabric.
brocade jackets. The new fusible interfacings are being used by
By the late seventeenth century women's most custom tailors to reinforce certain small
fashion began to be influenced by the man- areas, such as dart tips or the inside of some
tailored coat. Tailors were presented with the pockets, however, they are not considered ac-
new challenge of adapting their craft to feminine ceptable substitutes for the multi-layered, hand-
form and fancy. stitched canvas interfacing which gives body to
Not until the early nineteenth century did the entire front of the jacket.
careful fit become a criterion of well-tailored gar- Today's tailors continue to practice their art
ments. The understructure remained, but the almost exactly as it was practiced a century ago.
shaping became more subtle, its purpose now Not because slower is necessarily better, but
being to complement rather than to distort the because these methods produce body and form,
natural lines of the body. Great attention was detail and durability which newer faster methods
also given to the flawless lay of the garment of tailoring are simply unable to equal.
fabric over the canvas form. The lapel was to roll We encourage you to enjoy the tailoring
gracefully open at the chest,without pulling the process as much as its beautiful product, and to
garment forward, away from the body. All edges afford yourself the necessary time and patience
of the jacket were to belie the existence of the to become proficient in these time-honored skills.

several layers of fabric beneath, by being flat and

GENERAL TAILORING SUPPLIES

Bent Handle Shears Tapemeasure

These shears are designedfor the most conven- Necessary for taking body measurements. Avail-
ientand careful cutting of fabric. In use, the able with inches printed on one side and centi-
handle bends up and away from the cutting meters on the other. Special tapemeasures are
surface while the blade is allowed to slide along also available for taking the inseam measure-
the surface without disturbing the lay of the ment for trousers. These tapemeasures have
fabric. A 10" (25.4 cm) to 12" (30.5 cm) pair will cardboard stiffening at one end. The cardboard,
handle most tailoring needs. Fine shears will give and not the tailor's hand can then be placed at
best service if they are oiled and sharpened the top of the inseam for measuring. Plastic,
when necessary, and if they are not used to cut rather than cloth tapemeasures should be pur-
materials other than fabric. chased, since those made of cloth are inclined to
shrink.

Thread Snips
Ruler
Small, sharp, pointed scissors. Used for easy ac-
cess to small areas, and for cutting threads. Flexible, plastic see-through rulers are very con-
venient for measuring curved areas on patterns
and fabric, as well as for flat surfaces. Do keep
Clay Tailor's Chalk them away from the iron!
White clay chalk. Used for marking pattern infor-
mation onto the garment fabric. The edge of the
chalk should be sharpened before use, for a
Hip Curve Ruler
clean, fine line. Clay chalk can be brushed away A gracefully curved ruler essential for making
easily when no longer needed, however, avoid and adjusting pattern lines.
pressing on top of the chalkmarks, as this will
make removal more difficult. Darker colored
chalks are used for markings on interfacings.
Straight Pins Needles
Either dressmaker pins, which are of medium Hand sewing needles for tailoring come in a
thickness, or silk pins, which are somewhat thin- variety of lengths and widths, in categories
ner, are appropriate for tailoring needs. called sharps and betweens. Betweens are
shorter, stronger needles. Sharps are medium to
long in each category, the needle
length. Within
Basting Thread sizes are numbered. The higher the number, the

White cotton thread #40-#50, easy to break for shorter and thinner the needle. A #7 sharp nee-

removal when necessary. dle might easily take you from beginning to end
of your tailoring project.

General Sewing Thread

Buttons
Mercerized cotton thread, #0 or WO, or size A,
silk thread, is suitable for both hand and machine The button size is measured across the diameter
stitching. in "lines," 40 lines to the inch. 30-line buttons
are used on the jacket front, 24-line buttons can
be used for the sleeves, the pants, and back
Buttonhole Twist pocket. Dull bone or horn buttons are most
attractive on the classic suit. Plastic buttons break
Silk tailor's twist #8 making hand-
is best for
easily and sharp edges in the hole of the button
worked buttonholes. It is also used for sewing on
often tear the thread.
buttons. The twist comes on large spools, six
strands of silk loosely intertwined. The strands
are separated and used singly. If tailor's twist is
Zipper
unavailable, size D, buttonhole twist, will do.

Use a strong zipper with metal teeth for the

pants fly; one which is at least " (2.5 cm) longer
Gimp than the fly measurement.
1

Stiff cord, in a color close to that of the garment For a skirt, the zipper should be the length
Used to reinforce
fabric. the edges of hand- of your hip level measurement (see page 7). I

worked buttonholes.

Muslin
Beeswax A lightweight cotton fabric, from which tailors
Used by tailors to hand sewing,
coat thread for make a prototype of the suit. Used to check
to prevent the thread from knotting and gnarl- fitting details.

ing. For hand topstitching the thread is also

pressed between sheets of paper after having
been drawn through the beeswax. This process
keeps the several strands, which constitute the
thread, flat and uniform.

Tailor's Thimble
Worn as a protection for the middle finger, the
area which covers the fingernail is used to push
the needle through the fabric. Tailor's thimbles
are open at the top for comfort.
 UNDERSTRUCTURE SUPPLIES
Undercollar Melton
A strong wool fabric in a color that coordinates
with the garment fabric. Used to give crisp body
and sharp edges to the jacket collar.

/ French Canvas
A stiff, linen interfacing; used in the undercollar.
/
Waistband Interfacing
Wool Canvas Interfacing A layer of stiff interfacing; used to give support to
the garment fabric in the waistband.
Woven from wool and hair fibers, used as a
supporting fabric for the jacket front. The inter-
facing adds shape and body
garment to the Shoulder Pads
fabric, and reduces wrinkling. It should be
soaked in cool water, allowed to drip dry and Gracefully shaped layers of cotton wadding cov-
pressed before use, to ensure against its shrink- ered with muslin. Used to define shoulder area.
ing in the finished garment.
A weight wool canvas interfacing is
used if
lighter
your jacket has a full canvas (see page
Sleeve Head
100). A strip of cotton wadding or lamb's wool, rein-
forced with a bias of wool canvas interfac-
strip

ing, sewn cap of the sleeve. The head

into the
Pocketing Fabric fills out the sleeve cap and helps create the
Soft, strong cotton fabric, tightly woven and graceful fall of the sleeve fabric.
without sizing. Used to form the insides of pock-
ets, and as a stay, or reinforcement for several
areas on the jacket and pants.
Cotton Twill Tape
3
/s" ( I cm) wide, used to define the outer edges
of the lapel and jacket front, and to control the
Lining lapel roll line. The tape should be soaked in cool

A lightweight, smooth fabric of rayon, silk or water, and pressed before use to ensure against

polyester; used in jackets, skirts, and pants. De- shrinkage in the finished garment.
spite being lightweight and soft, the lining must
be strong enough to endure constant, long-term
wear.
Grosgrain Ribbon
A closely woven corded ribbon, usually of silk or
rayon. Used as a waistband or waistline backing.
Prepadded Collar Melton
Two fabrics— French canvas and melton—
Shirring Tape
machine-pad-stitched together, from which the
jacket undercollar is constructed. The melton A thin, loosely woven bias tape; used on the
should be of a color that matches or coordinates underside of gathers.
with the color of the garment fabric. Since this
prepared undercollar fabric is often difficult to
find in the color or guality desired, tailors often
buy the melton and canvas separately and hand-
stitch them together.
HAND STITCHING
If you are not used to hand sewing, we can A thimble more necessary in tailoring
is

almost guarantee that you will begin by: than in other hand sewing, because of the
added pressure needed to drive the needle
• Cutting your thread much too long through several layers of fabric. The tailor's thim-
• Pulling your stitches much too tightly ble is open at the top for comfort. The fingernail
• Resisting the use of a thimble until your area of the thimble, instead of the top, is pressed
finger begins to bleed. against the needle. Simply place the thimble on
the middle finger of the hand you sew with, and
Ifyou can manage to pass through this begin- your finger will figure out how best to use it.
ning stage quickly, you will save yourself a great Innumerable rows of basting are required in
deal of aggravation. producing a tailored garment. Basting is more
Using a very long thread does not necessar- accurately done if the two layers of fabric to be
ily mean that you will be threading your needle joined are laid flat on the table to avoid shifting.
less often. On the contrary, it usually means that With one hand holding the fabric flat in place,
your thread will gnarl and tangle, and that you and the other hand placing the stitch, your work
will have to break off the tangled area repeat- will progress quickly and accurately.
edly, losing all satisfaction in your work. Use a Basting stitches, like other hand stitches,
comfortable length of thread, one which does should be placed without tension. Since these
not require you to stretch your arm with each are temporary stitches, more attention should be
stitch. If you still have trouble with tangles, draw given to their location than to their appearance.
the thread through a piece of beeswax. Each row of basting is begun with a backstitch
Tightly pulled stitches are
usually placed to secure the thread. Basting thread is never
with great care and concentration, and unfortu- knotted at the end, since knots would make the
nately, their intensity is usually clearly visible on eventual removal of the basting more difficult
the front of the garment. There isjust no need to and more hazardous to the fabric.
nail the layers of fabric this tightly together. Any The most common hand stitches are illus-

which goes through to the right side of the

stitch trated here. Others will be presented throughout
garment should pick up only one thread of the the text as their need arises.
garment fabric, and should be drawn softly
enough to leave that thread's appearance un-
changed on the right side of the fabric.

saddle stitch back stitch

prick stitch running stitch

 slip stitch cross stitch

double cross stitch

overcast stitch/whip stitch stitch

hem stitch
 PRESSING SUPPLIES

Hl-STEAMO*

Heavy, Dry Iron Pleater

About 12 pounds or more in weight; preferred A wooden on one side and flat on
block, curved
over lighter weight irons by most tailors, because the other. Used as a pressing surface or as
of the added pressure the weight affords, espe- pounding block for flattening bulky edges.
cially in the job of flattening and reducing bulk
by pressing.
Brush
Used for brushing the fabric, and for pounding
Steam Iron delicate areas.
Professional models offer a powerful surge of
steam; preferred by those who find heavier
weight irons difficult to manipulate.
Presscloth
Soft cotton fabricwhich is free of sizing. Used to
protect the garment fabric from direct contact
Sleeve Board with the hot iron. With a dry iron, the presscloth
A small ironing board convenient for pressing is dampened to produce steam.

the sleeve and other difficult to reach areas.

Press Mitt
Tailor's Ham A padded mitt worn on the hand. Used to assist
A tightly packed, large or small, curved pressing in pressing areas that do not lie comfortably on a
surface, preferably stuffed with sawdust. tailor's ham or ironing board, especially the
sleeve cap and shoulder area.
PRESSING TECHNIQUES
Pressing is an integral part of the tailoring proc- the hot iron on the presscloth until steam is
ess. Besides ridding the fabric of wrinkles, and produced. Pressure is added while the fabric is
producing neat, flat darts and seamlines, the iron being steamed. Remove the iron and the press-
is used in tailoring to gently shape the fabric. cloth while the steam is still being produced. If

Using heat, moisture and pressure, fabric which you are pressing a curved area of the garment,
is suitable for tailoring can be shrunk in some allow the fabric to lay oyer the ham for a few
areas and stretched in others, so that it will hang minutes while it dries. If the ham is stuffed with
most gracefully as a finished garment. sawdust the wood particles will absorb the mois-
The amount of heat, moisture and pressure ture fairly quickly. After pressing
flat areas of the

necessary to accomplish yourjob depends upon garment, the fabric can simply be hung up to
the weight and quality of your fabric. Therefore, dry. Drying the fabric completely before lifting
before using the iron on your fabric, it is essential the iron, will flatten out the wool fibers and rob
that you pretest, using a fabric scrap. If your heat the fabric of its life.

setting is too high, the fabric fibers will flatten out Some worsteds or heavier woolens will re-
and produce an unattractive shine. Ifyour press- quire more than the normal amount of pressure
cloth is too wet, the fabric will shrink and matt. to create sharp, flat edges. Pressing on a wooden
Wool fabric is very vulnerable when damp. surface— the area to be flattened can be struck
Therefore, rather than pulling the iron back and sharply with a pounding block while the fabric is
forth over the fabric, and stretching the fabric off still steaming. This extreme pressure, coupled
grain, the iron is placed and lifted, placed and with the instant drying produced by the blow
lifted, etc. A presscloth always needed be-
is and the wooden surface, usually produces the
tween the iron and the garment fabric to prevent desired flat, crisp edge.
damage to the fabric. If a shine appears on the surface of your
seams can be safely pressed on flat
Flat fabric as the result of extreme heat or pressure,
surfaces.However, if a curved area of the gar- you will probably be able to eliminate it by lightly

ment is placed on a flat surface for steam press- steaming the shiny area, and then using a soft
ing, and restricted by the flat surface of the hot brush to coax the fibers back to life.
iron, the fullness in the fabric will shrink as much The beginning tailor usually sins by
as it can, in order to fit into this limited space. For excess— dampening, pressing, pounding the fab-

this reason, curved areas of the garment are laid ric limp. Remember that the surface life of the
over a tailor's ham
might fill out
so that the ham fabric is quite vulnerable, as are the many bias

the shape of the garment. Steam pressing a and semi-bias raw edges which can all too easily
curved area in this manner will not result in be stretched out of shape. If each of the several
shrinkage, since the fabric is being pressed in pieces of your garment are handled carefully
conformity with its own shape. during the tailoring process, and laid carefully

Using a dry iron, the best procedure for aside when not in use, the amount of pressing
pressing is to cover the fabric
with a uniformly needed will be greatly reduced.
damp (not dripping) presscloth, and then to lay

TAILORING SUPPLY SOURCES

S. Beckenstein Inc. Louis A.. Lew Co., Inc. Steinlauf & Stoller Inc.

125 Orchard Street 108 Fifth Avenue 239 West 39th Street
New York, N.Y. }0002 New York, N.Y. 1001 1 New York, New York 100U
Bergen and Cleaning Supply Corp. Sew and Show
Tailor Nat Gelfman Company Inc.
9027 Road River 401 North Avenue 237 West 35th Street
Edgewater, N.J. 07020 Garwood, N.J. 07027 New York, New York 1000
Gubi Linings and Trimmings Co. Greenberg & Hammer Inc.
6 Delancey Street
1 24 West 57th Street
New York, N.Y. }0002 New York, New York 1 00 1

8
 2 The Pattern
Unless you are skilled enough to create The size of the skirt and pants patterns is

your own pattern, your job now is to carefully determined by the hip measurement, and, for
choose and adjust a commercial pattern in order most women, the bust measurement will be the
to produce a personally flattering style and fit. best gauge to determine the size of the jacket
Beautifully detailed construction is wasted on a pattern.If, however, your bust is very full or very

garment which does not fit, or on a style which check the information on pages 26 and 27
flat,

does not suit the wearer. before purchasing and adjusting yourjacket pat-
tern.

THE JACKET PATTERN

In selecting the jacket style of the pattern, niques outlined in this book, all you will use from
look to the broad style lines. For the moment, the pattern envelope are the basic pattern pieces:
ignore such things as styles of pockets, or the jacket panel and back, the sleeve,
front, side
whether there is a back vent, or if the jacket and the undercollar. You will be able to create
pattern includes a lining. Fortified with the tech- the rest of the jacket on your own.

gorge line

Look to the shape of the collar and lapel as

they meet at the gorge line, and choose your
jacket pattern.
The lapelwidth is a matter of taste and
current trend. A safe width for a lapel which you
would be able to wear for many years would be
about 3" (7.6 cm). Remember that out of style,
wide lapels may always be tapered (page 282),
but lapels which are too narrow can only hang
in the closet until fashion welcomes them back

again.
 double piping pocket

welt pocket

double piping pocket with flap

patch pocket

You be able to interchange patch pock-

will

ets with double piping pockets, or to add a welt

breast pocket \f there is none. You will not need
your pattern envelope to help you with making
these changes.

If you will be working with a plaid fabric,

choose a pattern that eliminates the seam below

the pocket by using a dart instead of a separate
side panel. The plaid below the pocket is then
undisturbed by seamlines, and matching the
plaid during the construction of the pockets is

not difficult.

!0
THE SKIRT PATTERN

basic straight skirt straight skirt with shirring skirt with pleats

We suggest that you begin with a basic modified to create a variety of styles. The three
straight skirt pattern. Once you have a well- skirts which are constructed in Chapter 7 are
fitting straight skirt, your pattern can easily be adapted from the same straight skirt pattern.

THE PANTS PATTERN

slant pocket side pocket Western pocket

In selecting a pants pattern, select a high or modified to create all three pockets using the
low rise, whichever your client has found to be patterns included in this book. (If you choose a
more comfortable, and decide for or against pattern with front pleats, of course, you forfeit
pleats. your option for a Western pocket.)
No matter what style pockets you would The width of the pants leg should not be a
like, the best pants pattern to buy is one that has determining factor in choosing the pattern, since
side pockets rather than Western or slant pock- this is a minor pattern alteration (page 290).

ets. This will give you a pattern with side and Cuffs also can be added or subtracted without
waistline seams intact— a pattern that can be difficulty (page 14).

11
PRELIMINARY PATTERN ADJUSTMENTS

1. Jacket Roll Line 2. Shoulder Seams

Draw the lapel on your pattern if
roll line it The jacket back shoulder seam should be at

is not already indicated. The roll line begins least V2" .3 cm) longer than the front shoulder
( 1

about 5 /s" (1 .6 cm) above the top button, and is
drawn at an angle which would bring 3
/s" it
(1 cm) out from the neck cutting edge at the
shoulder. Notch the top and bottom of the roll
line.
seam, to allow for ease of movement. Measure
your pattern shoulder seams. Add 'A?" (1.3 cm)
to the back shoulder seam if it has not been
included.

JJ
3. Vents
Ifyou would like to add a center back vent If your pattern includes a back vent and you
to a jacket which does not have a back vent, wish to eliminate it, simply treat the vent foldline
extend your pattern out 2" (5 cm) from the and trim away the pattern beyond
as a stitchline,
stitchline at the top of the vent, and 3" (7.6 cm) the seam allowance.
at the bottom. The top of the center back vent is If the vent is V2" (3.8 cm) from
not at least 1

about 1" (2.5 cm) below the waistline. the foldline on both the topsleeve and the under-
sleeve patterns, extend it to that amount.
4. Revised Facing Pattern
If the outer edge of the facing pattern is

curved to match the shape of the outer edge of

the jacket lapel, the facing pattern must be re-

drawn. This procedure is an inconvenience, but

one which will produce a far more professional
product.
We are redrawing the facing pattern in
order to create a pattern that will enable us to
place the straight of the grain on the facing at
the outer edge of the lapel. This is essential for a
controlled, graceful lay of the fabric. We will also
add ease to the facing to assist in the roll of the
lapel.

This adjustment, although detailed here,

should only be made after the muslin fitting,
when the jacket front pattern corrections have
been completed.

Use the jacket front pattern as a guide, and

draw a new facing pattern on oaktag or brown
paper. Trace around thejacket front pattern leav-
ing '/z" (1.3 cm) margin at the shoulder, neck
and top of the lapel. The front of the facing
pattern is a straight line, which is drawn
]
h" (1 .3 cm) away from the center of the lapel
and continues to O2" .3 cm) below the bottom
( 1

of thejacket.

The front edge of the facing does not yet

take the shape of the front of the jacket. This
shaping will be accomplished later with the help
of the steam iron.
Indicate the bottom of the lapel and the
waistline notch on the facing pattern, and re-
move thejacket front pattern.
The facing extends 3" (7.6 cm) past the
center of the roll line, and should be 3" (7.6 cm)
wide at the shoulder. The facing should be cut
5'/2" 4 cm) wide at the bottom for a jacket that
( 1

curves in at the center front hem. For a straight

front jacket, the bottom of the facing is 4"
(10.2 cm) wide.
Add a seam allowance notch at the top of
the lapel, ]

h" (1.3 cm) in from the edge. Your

revised facing pattern is complete.
5. Pants Cuffs
If your pattern does not include cuffs and
you would like them, extend the bottom of your
pants pattern below what will be the bottom
edge of the finished pants— an amount equal to
at least three times the cuff width. The average
cuff width is 72" (3.8 cm). If you have the
1

fabric, it would be wise to leave slightly more

fabric, since the final determination of the pants
length is made only after the pants are com-
pleted.

LENGTHENING OR SHORTENING PATTERNS

With the preliminary pattern check com- If you have had successful experience with
skirt, and
pleted, lengthen or shorten yourjacket, flat pattern alterations, you may wish to make
pants patterns as indicated by your measure- further adjustments to your pattern at this point.
ments. Follow the instructions for length adjust- If you have no experience, or only painful mem-
ments given on your pattern. As a general guide ories regarding pattern alterations, leave the ad-
pants should be long enough to reach to the justments for the moment. The needed pattern
middle of the back of the shoe. Leave yourself a alterations will become very obvious in the
generous hem at the bottom of the pants for muslin fitting.

now. Length of skirts and jackets is a matter of

taste and the current style trends.

14
3 The Fit
MEASUREMENTS
The following are standard measurements front of a mirror. While making the pattern, the
taken by tailors, and used by them to draft tailor applies his craft to build into the pattern
patterns which will fit their clients as closely and whichever characteristics are needed.
as comfortably as possible. In conjunction with If you are not a skilled patternmaker, and
the measurements, the tailor also notes impor- are, therefore, using a commercial pattern, cer-
tant information about the client's body: tain fitting and style adjustments will undoubt-
whether her posture is stooped or overly erect; edly be necessary. Your pattern will have to be
whether her shoulders are square or sloped; customized after the fact, by means of a muslin
whether her bust and buttocks are full or flat, fitting.

whether her stomach protrudes; whether one The standard measurements taken
tailors'

hip or one shoulder is higher than the other, etc. in this chapter will, therefore, most likely be used

In order to get an uncensored picture, the by you only to choose a commercial pattern
tailor keeps the client away from the mirror closest to your client's fit, and to adjust the
during these observations. The temptation to length of the pattern. All other adjustments of
suck in the stomach and stand up straight for the the pattern will be diagnosed and made during
mirror, is too strong.If the tailor were to note that the muslin fitting.

version of the body, the suit would fit only in

/
\ \
 HOW TO TAKE MEASUREMENTS

The first five measurements are taken over depends on the style you have chosen. Take
the best fitting jacket the client has available. your measurement to the hip level as a point of
Don't be concerned if the jacket is not a perfect reference for adjustments in the muslin fitting.

fit.We will have an opportunity to improve the

fit during the measurements and the muslin
fitting.
3. Back
At about center armhole level, measure
across the back from the armhole seam to the
Center Back/Neck to
1 center back seam.

Waist
With the jacket collar up, measure from the 4. Shoulder
collar seam to the waist at center back. Measure the shoulder seam from collar

seam to armhole seam.

2. Center Back/Neck to
5. Sleeve Length
Hip Measure the sleeve from the shoulder seam
With the tapemeasure touching the body to the hem fold, taking into consideration the
at the waist, measure from the collar seam to the
slight rise of the sleeve over the shoulder pad.
hip level. Of course, the length of your jacket

16
 JI
6. Bust
Measure around the body at the fullest part belt. The measurement should be comfortable,
of the bust. This measurement can be taken over but without additional ease.
a blouse, but not a sweater. Check that the
tapemeasure is at the same level at the back as in
the front. The measurement should be comfort-
9. Hip Level
able, neither too loose nor too tight.
Measure down from the waist at the side
seam, to the level at which the hips are fullest.

7. Bust Level
Measure from the shoulder (about 1" (2.5
1 0. Hips
cm) from the base of the neck) down to the The hip measurement can be taken over an
center of the bust. Be aware that this measure- unbulky straight skirt or trousers. The pockets, if
ment can change significantly depending on the any, should be empty and the client's feet should
bra that is worn. Therefore, the type of bra that be together. With two fingers under the tape for
will usually be worn under the jacket, should be ease, measure around the fullest part of the hip.
worn for this measurement.

1 1 . Skirt Length
8. Waist Measure down from the waist at the side
The waist measurement can be taken over seam, to the desired length of the skirt.
a blouse, but not over a skirt waistband, or a

17
12. The Fly
Have your client raise the waistline of the cardboard attached, so that the cardboard, and
trousers she is wearing until they just touch the not the tailor's hand reaches to the top of the
body at the crotch. If the waistband is much too inseam.
high on the client, when the pants are in this

position, the fly is too long.

she cannot get the waistline of the pants
If
1 4. Pants Outseam
up to her waistline, without the pants becoming With the pants waistline at a comfortable
level for the client, measure down the outseam
uncomfortable in the crotch, the fly is too short.
Measure the from what should be the
fly
from the top of the waistband to the middle of
top of the waistband, down to the beginning of the shoe.

the curve of the crotch.

1 5. Knee Width
1 3. Pants Inseam Measure across the knee of the pants from
With the pants waistline at a comfortable
crease to crease.

level for the client, measure the pants inseam

from the crotch to the middle of the shoe. As a
courtesy to the client, there are special tape-
1 6. Width of Pants at Hem
Measure across the bottom edge of the
measures for taking this measurement. The top
pants leg from crease to crease.
few inches of the tapemeasure have a piece of

8
THE MUSLIN FITTING

The next step is to cut the basic pattern to apply the corrected amount at certain points
pieces from a good quality muslin fabric and to on the pattern.
check the fit. You have to attach paper to the areas of
will

We assume that you are anxious to get on the pattern that need expanding, so that new
with the job of making the real suit, and you
that lines can be drawn, blending the corrected

can think of hundreds of reasons to support you amounts gracefully into the original lines.
in avoiding this seemingly over-cautious step. A hip curve ruler is an essential tool for this
However, unless you are a tailor with years of procedure. The contours of the hip curve coin-
cutting experience, a muslin fitting must be cide with the contours of the body. you
If turn
made. the hip curve, you will find a place on it that
The muslin will serve as an inexpensive takes you smoothly from a newly added '//'

prototype of your suit, through which you can (1 .3 cm), back into the seamline. Use the curve
become aware of, (and then avoid) creases and of the original line as a general guide for the
wrinkles caused by the fact that your body is contour of the new line.

unique, and the pattern is an "average" size. If the pattern correction has been at all

These creases literally "point at" and advertise significant, it would be wise to verify the correc-
the peculiarities of your body, such as knock- tionsby changing the muslin accordingly. Only
knees or protruding seat. then can the cutting of your suit fabric be done
If for the first time you are aware of the with full confidence.
creases in the finished suit, it may be too late to Now thatyou have decided to make the
an early
eliminate them; but the muslin offers muslin, be aware that is not an
it entire suit in
warning system. The knock-knees and protrud- muslin. For the jacket, cut only the front, back
ing seat will not disappear, but the wrinkles and from muslin, and the undercollar
side panel
which note their presence will. from French canvas (for body). Eliminate the
The pattern corrections given here are for facing and the topcollar. Chalkmark on the mus-
some of the most common fitting problems. The lin, lines that indicate the placement of the pock-
procedure is to diagnose the problem, determine ets, the buttons, and the center front
the amount needed to correct the fit, and then. A muslin sleeve will not be cut at this point.

19
When the jacket is almost finished, the armhole should be given to the height of the shoe heel,
will be measured and a muslin sleeve be cut will since variation here may significantly alter the
to fit (page 164). Forget the sleeve for now. You length of the pants.
will need shoulder pads for the jacket fitting. Use The first view of the muslin suit provides
a pair of commercial pads. (On page 137 there important information about the overall impres-
are instructions for making your own shoulder sion. The jacket and skirt (or pants) should pro-
pads, however, you may wish to make them vide a pleasing balance and style line for the
only after the fitting, when you will have deter- figure. Although the classic blazer length is just
mined the amount of padding best for you.) below the hip, a woman with long legs and a
The skirt and pants muslin should include short torso may comes well
require a jacket that
zippersand simple waistbands, so that you get a below her hips in order to create an attractive
sense of the actual hang of the garment. The balance between top and bottom.
pockets can simply be chalkmarked. Wide lapels and pleated trousers may com-
Cut the muslin fabric with full attention to bine to create too heavy an impression for a
the grain. If the muslin is off grain, wrinkles may shorter, slightly built woman. A long lapel may
be quite misleading: they may be indicating bias be better than a short one on a tall, broad-
draping, rather than fitting problems. shouldered woman.
Machine stitch seam allowances and
the None of this is gospel. Use your eye and
darts accurately, and press the seams open. trust your judgment. If necessary, lengthen or

The muslin jacket should be fit over a well- shorten the jacket according to your pattern
fittingblouse. A sweater should not be worn instructions, and then make whatever style ad-

under the muslin, unless one will be worn regu- justments you think best, using the guidelines on
larly under the finished suit jacket. Attention the following pages.

LAPELS— TOO WIDE/TOO NARROW

If you wish to widen or narrow the lapel, Adjusting the shape of the lapel will not
add to or subtract from the top of the outer edge prove a problem with the facing since we will

of the lapel, and taper a line to the bottom of the eventually redraw the facing pattern using the
roll line. new line of the lapel as a guide.

20
LAPELS— TOO LONG/TOO SHORT

too long / too short

Ifyou would prefer to raise or lower the If you wish, the design of the collar can be

lapel, draw a line from the top of the existing roll completely changed during the construction of
line to the desired height of the lapel roll. Below the collar (page 142).
the roll line, the jacket front tapers to a straight
line.

JACKET BALANCE

With the preceeding style problems out of Far and away, the most obvious fitting
the way, we will move on to the problems of fit. problems are those caused by posture and body
The procedure be to correct the most obvi-
will imbalance. If the client's posture is stooped or
ous problems and to work our way down
first, overly erect, or if one shoulder is higher than the
to the finer details. The major corrections often other, the jacket will not hang correctly.
eliminate the minor ones before we get to them.

21
STOOPED POSTURE
a woman with stooped posture
A jacket on
will towards the back and upwards. To
pull

prevent the jacket from pulling, fold the pattern

at the back side seam about h" (3.8 cm) 1
l

below the armhole. Approximately h" (1 .3 cm) l

to 3 A" (1.9 cm) is folded out of the pattern at the

seam, and tapered across the pattern back.
On the pattern front, about h" (3.8 cm) 1
l

below the armhole, and about 2" (5 cm) in from

the cutting edge of the side seam, draw a line
across the pattern to the lapel edge, at a level just
below the top of the dart. About 72" .3 cm) to
W ( 1

(1.9 cm) fabric is folded out of the pattern at

the lapel, tapering to the end of the line.

The top of the side panel is lowered so that

the side panel back seam from waist notch to
armhole is equal in length with the newly ad-
justed side seam on the jacket back pattern.

OVERLY ERECT POSTURE

A jacket a woman with overly erect
on
posture towards the front and upwards.
will pull
To prevent the jacket from pulling, slash the
pattern, beginning on the back side seam, about
1 h" (3.8 cm) below the armhole. The slash
]

continues across the back of the pattern to about

2" (5.1 cm) from the center back seam. The
pattern spread apart at the side seam ]
h"
W
is

(1.3 cm) to (1.9 cm).

A slash is cut into the pattern front from the

lapeledge to about 2" (5.1 cm) from the side
seam. The pattern is spread apart at the slash
*h" (1.3 cm) to
The top of the
W (1.9 cm).
side panel is raised so that
the side panel back seam from waist notch to
armhole is equal in length with the newly ad-,
justed side seam on the jacket back pattern.

22
 —

LOW SHOULDER

Many people have one shoulder lower hole smaller, which, in turn, would necessitate
than the other, usually as a result of their work, making the sleeve smaller.
or some other regular activity which places the The fact is that the correction has nothing
body in an unbalanced position. A clear indica- to do with the armhole. It has to do with the rib
tion of this peculiarity of the body is visible in the cage area. The shoulder is low because the body
sagging diagonal creases along one side of the is contracting itselfsomewhere between the
jacket only. armhole and the waist, on one side. The adjust-
Pin the fabric up at the shoulder (as illus- ment required is somewhat complicated
trated) until the creases disappear, and measure however, it The adjustment requires
works.
the amount of the needed adjustment. either a new muslin, or your confidence in being
It would appear that the logical pattern able to make the correction directly on the gar-
correction would be a deeper, slanting seam at ment fabric. You decide.
the shoulder. Doing this would make the arm-

23
 Place the three main jacket pattern pieces
on your fabric so that the side of the jacket
which does not need the correction will be
traced on the top layer of the fabric.
In the illustration, the fabric is folded with
right sides together and the right side of the
jacket is being traced on the top layer of fabric.
This is to illustrate the first step in correcting a left

low shoulder.
Arrange the pattern pieces so that all seams
which will eventually be joined are closest to
each other.
Using tailor's chalk, trace the pattern pieces
onto the fabric and remove the pattern.
Place a row of the pins horizontally across
the fabric at approximately the level of the top of
the dart. The pins should go through both layers
of fabric.

Cut through only the top layer of fabric (as

illustrated) about h" (1.3 cm) away from the
]

cutting edge of the armhole and the side panel.

The fabric layers are still anchored together by
the row of pins.
Now, at the top of the lapel, move the top
layer of fabric in "A" (6 mm). At the shoulder of
the jacket front, move the top layer of fabric
down an amount equal to one half the needed
correction.
With one hand, hold the top layer of fabric
flat, its new position. With the other hand,
in

smooth the fabric downward toward the pins,

and outward towards the side seam. An excess
of fabric will appear just above the row of pins.
A second row of pins is now placed
through both layers of fabric, confining the ripple
of fabric to this area. The two rows of pins
should be about I" (2.5 cm) apart at the side
panel.
With the fabric pinned in this manner, cut
through both layers of the jacket front and side
panel. Be attentive as you cut the rippled area.
Follow the chalk guideline.

24
 When both layers of the front and side
panel are placed together on the table it will be
obvious that the underlayer is shorter between
the underarm and waist, yet both armholes are
equal.

The back of the jacket is adjusted in the

same manner. The top layer of fabric is moved in
•A" (6 mm) at the center back neck, and down
at the shoulder an amount equal to one half the
needed correction. The fabric is smoothed
downward and outward towards the side. The
excess of fabric which appears above the pins is
pinned in place, and both layers of the jacket
back are cut together.

25
BUST— VERY FULL

princess line

A small woman
with a very full bust who you choose a classic line jacket, taper the
If

purchases her jacket pattern according to her pattern below the bust using the front dart, the
bust measurement, as we have suggested, may side panel, and the side back. Reduce the shoul-
find herself with a size 1 4 pattern even though der seams equally on front and back. In order to
her shoulders, waistand hips indicate a size 10. maintain the jacket balance and prevent the
The and most flattering way to handle
easiest lapel from gaping open, the lapel dart is in-
these many corrections is to begin by choosing a creased by ff
'/2 (1 .3 cm) and the same amount is

princess line pattern. In a princess line the darts then added at the top of the outer edge of the
are incorporated into the seamlines, and the lapel. The pattern is lengthened or shortened as
contrast between a large bust and a small waist needed, using the pattern guidelines.
can be made very smoothly.

26
BUST— VERY FLAT

The bust measurement is usually the best

guide for choosing the size of your jacket pat-
tern. however, you are an average- to large-
If,

sized woman, with a flat bust, we suggest that

you purchase your jacket pattern using your
waist and hip measurements as a guide.
Any
excess fabric in the chest area should
be tapered out of the armhole, the front under-
arm seam, and the jacket back.

21
MISPLACED FRONT DART

If the dart on the jacket front is not directly

in line with the center of the breast, the dart is

misplaced, and must be moved. A fullness of

fabric is released at the end of the dart. If this

fullness is directed to a point other than the

center of the breast, there will be a restriction of
fabric across the breast, and most likely, an un-
filled bulge of fabric off to the side.

The correction is a simple one. Using a hip

curve ruler, redraw the existing dart on your
pattern at the correct position.

28
FRONT DART— TOO LONG/TOO SHORT

too long too short

The job of the front dart is to help create the

necessary shaping by restricting the fabric where
the body is narrow, and releasing the fabric
where the body is fullest. The front dart should,
therefore, end about 1" (2.5 cm) below the
center of the breast.
If the dart continues beyond the center of
the breast, there will be noticeable pulling in the
fabric. \f the dart stops well below the center of
the breast, there will be unnecessary fullness in

an area lower than needed.

it is

Simply draw the top

of your dart lower or
higher on your pattern, as needed, and with the
help of a hip curve ruler, taper the sides of the
dart to the waistline.

29
 !

TOO LOOSE/TOO TIGHT ABOVE WAIST

too loose too tight

If the jacket is wrinkling above the waist

because of too much or too little fabric, deter-
mine the amount of the correction by pinning
(too much fabric), or by opening the side seams
(too little fabric).

On the pattern, add or subtract the cor-

rected amount not only from the underarm to
the hip, but also at the armhole.
The horizontal line at the top of the side
seams, back and front, is equal to the side seam
allowance. When your pattern correction is
complete, that horizontal line must measure the
same as it did before you began to correct the
pattern. Therefore, whatever amount is added or
subtracted from the side seam must inversely be
subtracted or added at the armhole. Failure to do
this will result in a gap at the back of the armhole

which will destroy the armhole contour.

30
 TOO LOOSE/TOO TIGHT BELOW WAIST

too loose too tight

There should be no wrinkling on the jacket

below the waist, on front or back, and the vent
should lie closed, without pulling to one side or
to the other.
On the pattern, add or subtract the cor-
rected amount at the bottom of the side seam,
and taper gradually to the waist.
SHOULDER— TOO WIDE/TOO NARROW

too wide too narrow

If the jacket is too wide or too narrow

across the shoulder, determine the amount of
the adjustment by pinning (wide), or measuring
(narrow), and add or subtract that amount on
the pattern shoulder, at the armhole.

32
 SLOPED SHOULDER

If your client has sloped shoulders, and the

jacket has been cut for normal shoulders, diago-
nal creases will appear, on front and back, at the
bottom of the armhole. These creases can most
often be eliminated by increasing the amount of
shoulder padding.
When padding cannot solve the entire
problem, open the shoulder seam and re-pin it to
eliminate the creases. Measure the amount of
the pinned correction at the armhole edge of the
shoulder.
On the pattern front and back apply that
measurement from the neck edge of the shoul-
der. The lapel is also raised by the amount of the
pinned correction. The center back neck is raised
by that amount plus '/s" (3 mm).

33
SQUARE SHOULDER

your client has square shoulders and the

If

jacket has been cut for normal shoulders, circular

creases will appear at the base of the collar, on
front and back. Decreasing the amount of shoul-
der padding will sometimes solve the problem,
but not always.
Remove the collar and re-pin the shoulder
seam, eliminating the creases. Measure the
amount of the pinned correction at the neck
edge of the shoulder.
On the pattern front and back, apply the
amount of the correction down from the neck
edge of the shoulder. Also, lower the lapel and
the back neck by that amount.

34
NECKLINE— TOO HIGH/TOO LOW

too high

too low

If the bottom of the collar does not sit on

the shoulder at the back, but sits above or below

shoulder level, the collar must be removed and
the back neckline raised or lowered.
Apply the depth of the adjustment to the
pattern neckline at center back.

35
TIGHT NECKLINE

If the jacket neckline is too tight, the arm- released, the collar should settle to a comfortable
hole seam at the shoulder will show signs of height.
pulling towards the neck. There will be creases Remove the collar. Open the muslin shoul-
on the front shoulder, reaching out from the der seam and the top of the center back seam,
neck towards the armhole. and let the jacket settle at the neckline.
The collar will be a bit high if the neckline is The adjustment should be distributed
too tight, but the height of the collar will be less equally at the necklinebetween the shoulder
obvious than the pulling of the fabric in the seam and the center back seam.
shoulder and neckline area. Once the neckline is

LOOSE NECKLINE

If the jacket neckline too loose, the jacket

is

will pull away from the body at the back neck;

and in the front, the lapel will gape open uncom-
fortably.
Remove the collar, and pin a tuck in the
center back seam until the neckline hugs the
body more closely.
Apply the depth of the adjustment at the
neck edge of the center back seam.

36
ARMHOLE— TOO HIGH/TOO LOW

too high too low

Contrary to popular belief, the most com- Raise or lower the pattern the depth of the
fortablearmhole for a sleeve is one which is cut adjustment at mid-underarm, and at the top of
as high as possible without restricting the for- the side seam, back and front. This adjustment at
ward movement of the arm. A low-cut armhole the top of the side seams is necessary to maintain
is only comfortable if a sleeve is not attached. the contour of the armhole.
With a sleeve set into a low-cut armhole, raising The armhole should also be "scooped"
one's arm involves raising the entire side of the slightly in the front notch area, if wrinkles de-
jacket. velop when the arm is resting at the side. Trim
The cutting edge of the fabric should be the fabric, a little at a time, until the wrinkles
about 1" (2.5 cm) below the center underarm. disappear.

37
THE SKIRT

The beauty of the straight skirt is especially

dependent on a graceful fit. The fabric should lie
smoothly at the waistline, and fall gracefully over
the hips. The side seams must hang perpendicu-
lar to the floor, despite demands made by a high

hip, or a protruding rear.

38
TOO TIGHT/TOO LOOSE ACROSS HIPS

too tight

too loose

If the skirt is too tight or too loose across the

hips the necessary addition or subtraction is

made at the pattern side seams, hip level, front

and back. A hip curve ruler is used to draw a
new side seam line, tapered gracefully from the
hip to the waist, and from the hip to the bottom
of the skirt.

39
WAISTBAND— TOO LOOSE/TOO TIGHT

The skirt waistband (discounting overlap)

should be equal in measurement to the body
waist measurement. Lengthen or shorten the
waistband as indicated.

40
WAISTLINE— TOO LITTLE/TOO MUCH EASE

horizontal ripples/too little ease

PiTTF 7^ T?~

vertical puckers/too much ease

If, despite the fact that the waistband fits

comfortably, the top edge of the skirt does not,

there is probably too little or too
ease at much
the waistline. Horizontal ripples just below the
waistband back and front, indicate insufficient
ease at the waistline. Vertical puckers indicate
too much ease.
The waist seamline of a straight skirt must
be equal to the body waist measurement, plus
approximately h" .3 cm) ease at the front and
]

( 1

A?" [1.3 cm) ease at the back. This total of 1"

(2.5 cm) excess fabric at the top edge of the skirt,

is "eased" into the slightly smaller waistband to

allow for the fact that directly below the waist

the body (and therefore, the skirt) begins to
expand.
Adjust your pattern by adding or subtract-
ing the necessary amount at the waistline side
seams, back and front. The new point is then
tapered gracefully to the hip.

41
SWAYBACK

back view

side view

If horizontal ripples of fabric are present just skirt back

below the waistband, at the back of the skirt

only, the problem may be due to a posture, or

body contour which is descriptively called
"swayback."
The rippling can be eliminated by lowering
the waistline of the skirt at center back, tapering
to the side seams; and by lengthening the back
darts slightly.

42
ONE HIP HIGHER THAN THE OTHER
ru~~~ —

If one hip is higher than the other, there will

be diagonal pulling of fabric over the high hip,
the hem of the skirt will be higher on that side,
and the center back seamline will not fall
straight.
To correct this, extra fabric necessary both
is

in length and in width. Estimate the amount of

the correction, and add this amount to the skirt
pattern, both up and out from the waistline at
the side seam. Only the side of the skirt affected
by the high hip is corrected. Use a hip curve ruler
to taper these adjustments to the existing pattern
lines, as indicated.

43
HIPS THRUST FORWARD

Even if the stomach is flat, if the hips are

thrust forward the skirt will rise in the front, and
the side seam will not fall straight.
This requires an addition of fabric and an
adjustment at center front of the pattern, taper-
ing to the side seam.

FLAT SEAT

If the client has very flat buttocks, the skirt

may hang longer in the back than in the front,

and cause the bottom of the side seam to pull
forward.
The estimated adjustment is removed from
the skirt back at the center of the waistline, and
at the hip level side seam.

44
PROTRUDING STOMACH/BUTTOCKS

protruding stomach protruding buttocks

If the stomach or the buttocks protrude

significantly, the bulge will draw the skirt up
either in the front or in the back, and prevent the
side seam from falling straight.

An in both length and in

addition of fabric
width is necessary to accommodate the bulge.
To correct for the protruding stomach, ex-
tend your skirt pattern up at center front, and out
at the waistline side seam. Correct for protruding
buttocks by extending your skirt pattern up at
center back, and out at the side seam, at the
level of the buttocks.

45
 THE PANTS

46
WAISTBAND— TOO LOOSE/TOO TIGHT

The pants waistband (discounting overlap)

should be equal in measurement to the body
waist measurement. Lengthen or shorten the
waistband as indicated.

47
WAISTLINE— TOO LITTLE/TOO MUCH EASE
TjT-Tir 77T

horizontal ripples/too little ease vertical puckers/too much ease

If, despite the fact that the waistband fits 72" (1.3 cm) ease at the back. This total of 1"
comfortably, the top edge of the pants does not, (2.5 cm) excess fabric at the top edge of the
there is probably too little or too much ease at pants, is "eased" into the slightly smaller waist-
the waistline. band, to allow for the fact that directly below the
Horizontal ripples just below the waistband waist the body (and therefore, the pants) begins
back and front, indicate insufficient ease at the to expand.
waistline. Vertical puckers indicate too much Pattern adjustments, if minor, are made at
ease. the center back waistline. Adjustments of more
The waist seamline of unpleated pants must than ]

h" cm) must be applied to the waist-

(1 .3

be equal to the body waist measurement, plus line side seams, back and front.
approximately h" .3 cm) ease at the front and
]

( 1

48
TOO TIGHT ACROSS HIPS

front view back view

pants front pants back

If the pants are too tight across the hips,

3
A cm) the most we can add without

(1 .9
(1.9 is

disturbing the balance of the pants. The

added at three points on the pattern
cm) is
W
pants front and back.
The adjustment is out at the top of the
inseam, out at the crotch at hip level, and out at
the side seam at hip level.

49
TOO LOOSE ACROSS HIPS

pants front

If the pants are too loose across the hips,

V2" ( 1 .3 cm) is the most we can subtract without
disturbing the balance of the pants. The l
h*
(1.3 cm) is subtracted from the pattern at one
point on the pattern front, and at three points on
the pattern back.
The adjustment is in at the side seams at hip
level, in at the top of the back inseam, and in at
the back of the crotch at hip level.

pants back

50
 "

PROTRUDING HIGH HIPS

pants front pants back

If there is horizontal pulling of the fabric

directly below the waistline, extra fabric is

needed seam high hip level,

at the side front and
back.

CROTCH— TOO SHORT/TOO LONG

pants back/too long pants back/too short

wrinkles are concentrated in the crotch Depending upon the amount of wrinkling,
W
If

area, the hips are probably fine, but the crotch adjust the crotch between (1 .9 cm) and I

length must be corrected. Tight, pulling creases (2.5 cm). Add or subtract this corrected amount
radiating from the crotch indicate a short crotch. on the pattern back only, by extending out or in
Sagging, loose creases indicate a crotch that is from both the top of the inseam, and the center
too long. back seam at hip level.

51
BOWLEGS/KNOCK-KNEES

bowlegs knock-knees

The pants will wrinkle noticeably at the

knee if the client has bowlegs or knock-knees. A
simple correction of ]
h" (1 .3 cm) to 1
" (2.5 cm)
will usually allow the pants to fall smoothly,
despite the knee problem.

52
 pants front pants front

pants back pants back

Bowlegs Knock-Knees
Apply the same adjustment amount in and Apply the adjustment amount in and down
down at the bottom of the outseams, and out at at thebottom of the inseams, and out at the
the bottom of the inseams. bottom of the outseams.

53
FLAT SEAT

pants front

Semi-circular wrinkles, or folds will appear

at the back of the pants if the client has very flat
buttocks, or if she stands with her hips thrust
forward. In both cases the pants will also hit the
calf of the leg at the back, rather than fall

smoothly to the f\oor

Determine the amount of the correction by
the volume of the folds. A 3 A" (1 .9 cm) correc-
tion is about average.
Apply the adjusted amount at three points
on the front of the pants pattern and at four
points on the back. for example, you use
If,

.9 cm) as the corrected amount, on the pattern

1
W
(

back, measure out 3 A" (1.9 cm) at the hip, down

W
W (1 .9 cm) at the center back waistline, and in

.9 cm) at both the crotch hip level and the

1
(

top of the inseam. The correction on the pants

front pattern involves
at the waistline side
measuring in W (1 .9 cm)

seam, and both out and up

WA (1 .9 cm) at the center front waistline.
hip curve ruler will be essential in taper-
ing these new points to meet one another. All of

the new lines, except for the center front seam, pants back
are curved lines.

54
 —

PROMINENT SEAT

Pulling occurs across the back of the pants if

the buttocks are full, or if the client's overly erect

posture causes the hip to be thrown backward
and upward. The pants are also distorted by
hitting the bottom of the leg in the front rather
than fallingsmoothly to the floor.
Determine the amount of the pattern cor-
rection by the amount of pulling at the back
W (1 .9 cm) is about average.

Apply this corrected amount at three points

on the pants back pattern: out from the top of
the inseam, and from the crotch at hip level, and
up at the center back waistline. The pants must
also be extended out at the side seam at hip
level. However, -W (1.9 cm) additional shaping

would be too much at the hip. Add h" .3 cm) ]

(
1

at the side seam hip level and taper the line.

55
 T

PROTRUDING STOMACH

pants front pants back

A protruding stomach will pull the side estimated addition of fabric is distributed equally
seam forward, and draw the waistline down and back, and side
at the waistline center front
lower in the front than in the back. Extra fabric is seams front and back. The same adjustment is
needed both length and in width at the front
in added up at the center front, to give length in
of the pants, and in width at the pants back. The the rise.

RISE— TOO LONG/TOO SHORT

too long too short

If the pants are too long or too short from

crotch to waistline, the pattern is either length-
ened or shortened at the waistline by the desired
amount.

56
4 Fabric

SELECTING THE FABRIC

If you want the very finest fabric for classic from the tropics to the Arctic, year-round. It is
tailoring, choose wool. There is an endless vari- durable, has a long-life expectancy, and handles
most
ety of beautiful fabrics available to us today, beautifully at the sewing machine.
of which respond favorably to certain tailor-
will There are two major wool categories:
ing features. There is no reason to limit your • Worsteds

wardrobe to one fabric. However, full tailoring • Woolens

procedures (canvas, tape, etc.) will produce their Worsted fabric is woven from long, finely
best results for wool. Silk and linen are close combed wool fibers which have been twisted
seconds. tightly, and then woven tightly. The effect is a

Wool fabric has a distinctive personality fabric with a firm, flat surface, as in a serge, or a
which relates better with tailoring procedures gabardine. The traditional tailored business suits

than any other fabric. There is no disagreement are made from worsteds rather than from
among tailors on this. woolens.
The tailoring techniques described in this Woolens are woven from relatively short
book, direct you at times, to stretch the fabric, or wool fibers, which have not been combed

to shrink to mold
it, to fit the contours of the
it smooth. These fibers are twisted loosely and
human body. Wool fabric is somehow able to then woven much less tightly than the worsteds.
take on this newly molded shape and to hold it The effect is a soft, easy fabric, such as a Harris
as if it had always been its own. This is unique tweed, or a flannel. Woolens are more suited to
among fabrics. comfortable, sporty garments than they are to
Wool comes in a variety of weights and business suits.

characteristics, which can be worn comfortably

57
 PROPERTIES OF WOVEN FABRICS

^
straight grain

n
-i
O
Id
aj
3 *v

The Grain
There are certain properties of woven fab- ity, most garments will hang best if they are cut
rics, which must not be overlooked as we set to so that the lengthwise thread hangs vertically.

work. Garments cut on the crossgrain (with the cross-

Woven fabric is made by
at right angles to one another, evenly or in
patterns. The lengthwise thread (the warp) runs
parallel to the selvage (the finished edge along
the length of the fabric at either end). The
interlacing threads grain hanging vertically) hang less comfortably
and somewhat stiffly. Garments cut on the bias
(with the bias hanging vertically) have neither
the lengthwise nor the crosswise thread to sup-
port them directly. Therefore, the fabric finds it

lengthwise of the fabric is called the straight difficult to hold a shape. Bias-cut garments drape
grain. The crosswise thread (the weft), the cross- beautifully, and they stretch.
grain, runs at a right angle to the selvage. There Whether you are cutting a bias skirt, or a
is no thread running diagonally across the fabric. crossgrain waistband, or a straight grain pair of
However, the diagonal direction of the fabric is always the
trousers, the directions for cutting are
called the bias. The lengthwise thread must be same. Every pattern piece should be placed on
strong to withstand the workings of the loom, the fabric so that the arrow on the pattern is

and to support the fabric. The crosswise thread parallel to the lengthwise grain of the fabric.
need not be quite as strong. To say that something is cut on the cross-
Because of the strength of the lengthwise grain, or on the bias, has less to do with the
thread, and the fact that the crosswise thread direction in which it is cut than it has to do with
will "give" or drape gently in response to grav- the direction in which it is worn.

58
 ? d

La.— nj

The waistband and the skirt, have both

been cut in the same direction. However, be-
cause the waistband will eventually be placed

on the garment with the straight of the grain in a

horizontal position, the waistband will be said to
have been cut on the crossgrain. And since the
straight of the grain on the skirt will be in a
vertical position, the skirt is said to have been cut
on the straight grain.
The major pattern pieces of tailored gar-
ments are cut on the straight grain. And for
various reasons, certain smaller pieces of each
garment are cut on the crossgrain or on the bias.

59
 « s -

Straightening the Grain

Now, a word about off grain. Somewhere To check the grain alignment, pull a cross-
from the loom to you, the fabric grain may have wise thread from selvage to selvage, across
been distorted. Considering the importance the either end of your fabric. Do this at the very end
grain plays in the hang
of your finished garment, of your fabric yardage, so that you do not waste
it would be wise check the grain alignment
to fabric. The puckering along the pulled thread
before cutting the fabric. What we are doing is indicates the exact line of the crossgrain.
checking to see if the crosswise threads and the Cut the fabric along the puckered thread at
lengthwise threads are running at right angles or either end.
perpendicular to one another. If they are not,
everything we have discussed about placing the
arrows on the pattern parallel with the selvage,
will be useless.

Fold the fabric selvage to selvage, right

sides together. See if the fabric will lie comfort-
ably in a perfect rectangle. \f it will not, the
crosswise and lengthwise threads are no longer
running perpendicular. The fabric is off grain and
must be coaxed back into place.

60
 To coax the fabric back into place, pin the
folded fabric into the rectangular shape it should
have. Steam press from selvage to fold, on the
wrong side, until the ripples in the fabric disap-
pear. Washable fabrics which are off grain can
be gently pulled back into shape while they are
damp. This should be done on a flat surface, a
small area at a time.

Shrinkage
Woven natural fibers are susceptible to Shrink the wool canvas
interfacing by soak-
shrinkage. All woven which will become
fabrics, ing it in one hour. Let it drip
cool water for about
part of your garment such as the wool canvas dry and then steam press well. The cotton twill
interfacing, the twill tape, the pocketing, and the tape can be soaked in cool water and ironed
garment fabric itself, must be preshrunk. The wet. It will not lose its shape. Pocketing fabric
French collar canvas is an exception. and grosgrain ribbon are sufficiently shrunk by
Even if the label on the garment fabric says simply steam pressing them well. The lining fab-
that it has been preshrunk, you are safer if, rics we have suggested will not shrink during
before cutting, you have the fabric steam- drycleaning.
pressed and preshrunk professionally by a dry
cleaner.

61
The Nap
When the garment fabric has been pre- The simplest way to avoid such problems is

shrunk, is on grain and ready to go, run your to determine the direction of the nap before you
hand lightly over the fabric, on the straight grain, lay out your pattern pieces; to draw arrows on
first in one direction, then in the other. If the the fabric indicating the direction of the nap (the
fabric feels the same in both directions, it has no direction in which the fabric feels smoother); and
discernible nap. If there is even the slightest to cut the pattern so that the nap on all pieces of
difference to the touch, the fabric has a nap, and the finished garment falls insame direction.
the
the direction of the nap is the direction in which Most fabrics are cut with the nap down.
the fabric feels smoother. Cut this way, the fabric feels smoother if you run
The direction of the nap is the direction in your hand downwards on the front of the
which short fibers on the surface of the fabric jacket, than it does if you run your hand up-
have been brushed. It is not important that these wards. It's the same principle as petting a cat
fibers feel different in one direction than in the from front to back.
other. What is important is that they reflect light Velvet is sometimes cut with the nap up,
differently. Therefore, the fabric will have a differ- because the deep pile catches the light best that
ent co\or shading when it is held up in one way, and gives the fabric a richer color.
direction than in the other. If the nap is so slight that you have difficulty

The difference in color shading due to nap in determining which direction is smoother, sim-
is often slight, and not discernible while you are ply choose a direction, and mark arrows to that
working with the fabric flat on you the table. If effect on the fabric. It is less important to have
ignore the nap and (for example) cut the jacket the direction of the nap correct than it is to cut all

body with the nap down and the sleeves with the pattern pieces consistently, in whatever
the nap up, from across the room may look as if it direction you have chosen.
you have cut the sleeves from completely differ-
ent fabric.

62
5 Layout/Cutting
If, after measuring the client, preshrinking
the making and correcting a muslin, you
fabric,

are very anxious to get on with actually making

the suit, you may not care to hear at this point
that professional tailors do not use tissue paper
patterns. They are just too unwieldy (the pat-
terns, not the tailors).

The only positive quality about a tissue

paper pattern seems to be that it fits neatly, or
not so neatly, into a pattern envelope. On the
negative side, it wrinkles, it tears, it flies away if

you sneeze.
Tailors own patterns on sturdy
make their
paper or on oaktag. The oaktag pattern can be
laid in place on the fabric, weighed down rather

than pinned, and traced with tailor's chalk. Small

holes are made in the oaktag pattern through
which dart tips and pocket points can be
marked. Notches are cut into the edge of the
pattern at waistline, hemline, roll line, etc. When
not in use, the patterns are hung neatly on
pattern hooks.

Except when cutting the sheerest dress fab-

rics, this method of pattern layout is faster and
more accurate, because it eliminates pinning the
pattern to the fabric. Besides being time-
consuming, the process of pinning disrupts the
lay of the fabric, making it very difficult to cut the
two layers of fabric identically.

63
 you simply don't have the patience to
\f pattern requires, to allow for a few small errors in
transfer your pattern onto oaktag at the mo- judgment and skill, pocket flaps, etc.

ment, you can still avoid pinning the pattern to For the jacket, lay out your main pattern
the fabric by weighing down the tissue pattern. pieces: the front, back, side panel, facing (make
Tracing will not be quite as speedy without the sure this is the revised facing on page 13), and
stiff pattern edge to guide the chalk, but it will still sleeve. The sleeve should be traced onto the
be more accurate, and easier than pinning. fabric along with the other main pattern pieces,

Keep the oaktag alternative in mind, espe- as a reminder of its presence, and its demands on
cially for patterns that you use over and over the fabric. However, we will not cut the sleeve
again. until much later, when the jacket is almost com-

For yourfirst few tailoring projects, we sug- pleted. Until you are familiar with the construc-
gest that you purchase more fabric than your tion techniques, the pockets and the collar

64
 2 3A yards fold

should be cut only as you need them, following ness sense as well as a good challenge to plan
the instructions in each section. your work as tightly as it is illustrated here. It also
Do thesame with your skirt and pants takes experience. For the moment we will as-

patterns. Set to work with only the main pieces sume that you have challenge enough in pro-
of your skirt and pants cut. The facings, pockets ducing a well-tailored suit. The challenge of a
and waistband are cut as you work along with tight layout can come later, with experience.
the book.
Of course, cutting everything at once al-
lows for the most economical use of your fabric,
and many tailors develop this skill to a fine art.
The illustration shows a professional, nap layout
of a size 10, woman's suit. It makes good busi-

65
 With your fabric well prepared (preshrunk,
pressed, on grain and marked for nap), lay out
your main pattern pieces. Use a nap layout
unless you have a good reason not to (too little
fabric). It is always safer to use a nap layout,
especially with wool, since slight color shading
may be discernible in the sunlight, and not in
your workroom. Lay your pattern pieces with
The grain ar-
great respect for the fabric grain.
rows on each pattern piece should be exactly
parallel with the selvage. Measure to check the
accuracy of your eye.

With sharpened, clay tailor's chalk, the

process of tracing around each pattern piece is

easily and accurately done. Sharpen the chalk,

so that you can produce a thin, clean line with-
out the necessity of pressing heavily on the chalk
and the fabric. Applying pressure to the chalk
instead of sharpening it, produces a thick, unde-
termined line, and may even disturb the lay of
the fabric.
We suggest clay tailor's chalk, rather than
chalk with a wax content, because with chalk'
you can freely mark on the right side of your
fabricwithout ever worrying that the marks will
be permanent. The clay chalklines can be
brushed away easily when they are no longer
needed. Pressing on top of the clay chalklines is
not suggested, since this will render the marks
more difficult (though not impossible) to remove.

66
 Trace around the jacket front pattern piece
indicating all notches, including the waistline,
the collar notch, the top and bottom of the lapel
roll line, and the front armhole notch.

Mark the dart tips and the ends of the

pocket placement lines, by scratching the chalk
and letting the chalk dust settle through the
holes in the pattern.

67
 5^ r

The pocket placement line for a double-

piping pocket is the center line.

~J

For a welt pocket, it is the bottom line. And for a patch pocket, the pocket place-
ment line is at the top.

Remove the pattern and cut the fabric, indi-

cating border notches by a snip into the seam
allowance (no deeper than Vs" (3 mm)).
The best scissors to use for cutting double
layers of fabric are bent-handle shears. The bot-
tom blade can rest on the table as the fabric is
being cut. The blade is in a position to slide along
with minimal disruption of the fabric.
Resist the urge to pull the fabric towards
you as you cut. Any such movement might ruin
your careful grainline efforts.

After each pattern piece has been cut, the

chalk guidelines are preserved by tailor tacking.

^.nAnMAf\Afirifiny J 1.MJ !.)//[/ U1J II

Tailor tacking is simply a running stitch When the two layers of fabric are sepa-
through two layers of fabric, which leaves loops rated, the excess thread is shifted to the inside.

of extra thread on the top layer (as illustrated).

68
 HAH HAAA
\J\J\J \J WW U

Snipping the thread down the center cre- To tailor tack points or ends rather than
ates the thread markers— neat loops on the lines, two stitches are taken on top of each other,
wrong side of the fabric, and hair-like protrusions leaving the loose thread loop on the top layer of

on the right side. fabric. Dart tips and the ends of each pocket are
point-tacked in this way.

Chalkmark the hemline and roll line. Tailor grain of the fabric is vital, and all pertinent pat-
tack the full length of the hem, and only the tern information should be tailor-tacked into the
beginning and end of the roll line. fabric. The short time spent on tailor tacking now
The procedure for cutting skirt and pants is will save hours of guessing and correcting later.

essentially the same as for cutting the jacket. The

69
 PLAIDS OR STRIPES

The layout for a plaid or striped fabric re-

quires added attention.
The horizontal lines at the top of the sleeve
front should match those on the body of the
jacket. Place the notch on the top sleeve pattern
and the front notch on the armhole at identical
points on the plaid design. (See page 77.)
1

The outer edge of the lapel on the facing Place the revised facing pattern (page 13)
should be on the straight of the grain, between so that the notch at the top of the lapel falls

two prominent vertical stripes. The stripe should between two prominent vertical stripes. The fac-
run the whole length of the lapel, without veer- ing on a plaid or striped jacket should be applied
ing off along the way. by hand (page 121) rather than by machine, for
the most control in matching the lines.

70
 The center back seam, at the neck edge,
should not interrupt the pattern of the plaid.
Place the stitchline of the center back neck
edge at the very center between two vertical
stripes on the plaid.

The collar, viewed from the back, should

not create any interruption in the plaid design of
the jacket back.
Therefore, the topcollar, which is cut after
the undercollar is set, should be attached to the
undercollar with an eye to continuing both the
horizontal and vertical design lines present on
the back of the jacket. (See page 155.)

The seamline at the straight part of the

jacket front, below the lapel, should not fall on a
prominent vertical stripe.
\J

71
 Place the straight portions of thejacket front
pattern on the plaid so that the stitchline falls
between two prominent vertical stripes.

12
 All horizontal bars in a plaid must match at
the seamlines.
Place the notches of all seams, which will
be joined, at identical points on the plaid design.

73
 The hem foldline on the jacket and skirt

should not fall on a prominent horizontal stripe.

Place the hem foldline of the jacket front,
back and side panel midway between two
prominent horizontal stripes.

74

_
 The fold at the top of the pants fly should
be between two prominent vertical stripes. Place
the notch at the center front waistline between
two prominent vertical stripes.

The information needed for constructing

pockets on a plaid or stripe fabric is discussed
with the individual pocket directions.

75
6 Jackets

DARTS AND SEAMS

If there is a dart on thejacket, at this point in Remove the tailor tacks and press the dart in
your tailoring procedure it is indicated by four half, using the center chalkline as foldline.
tailor tacks. Machine stitch the dart from top to bottom.
On the wrong side of the fabric, draw a Sewing the fabric in the direction of the nap is an
chalkline from top to bottom at the center of the added courtesy to the fabric. In velvet or pile
dart. fabrics, it is an absolute necessity.
On one side of the dart, draw a slightly It is better to tie the threads at the dart ends,
curved line from the top of the dart to waist, and rather than backstitching to tack. Backstitching
from waist to bottom of the dart. Use the hip adds unwanted bulk and stiffness into the deli-

curve to taper line gradually into the dart ends. cately thin area of the dart tips.

An abrupt curve at the dart ends will create

puckering on the right side of the fabric which
will be impossible to press out.

76
 Slit on the center chalkline, begin-
the dart
ning and ending the slit h" .3 cm) away from
l
( 1

top and bottom. Press the dart open using a

tailor's ham.

The fabric at the dart tip is somewhat diffi-

cult to control, since it may pull to one side rather
than allowing itselfto be pressed flat at the
center. When this happens, it becomes obvious
on the front of the jacket by a slight wavering of
the dart seamline, instead of a perfectly straight
seamline, at the dart tip.
Before pressing, control the fabric at the
dart tip by inserting the eye end of a threaded
needle as far into the dart tip as it will go. This
will hold the seamline straight as you press the
dart seam allowance flat in the center. Remove
the needle (by the thread, the needle is hot), and
press the dart tip flat once more. On the front of
the jacket, the dart line should now be perfectly
straight.
A bias-cut, oval-shaped, very lightweight,
nonwoven fusible can be used to reinforce the
dart tip and maintain the fabric's body in this Simple waistline darts on and trousers
skirts

area. Use only a fusible which presents no com- are also pressed in half before stitching, and then
petition in weight with the garment fabric. Try a stitched to a gracefully tapered point. Skirt and
sample on a fabric scrap. If there is any indication trouser darts are not slashed open. They are
of the fusible from the right side of the fabric, it is usually small enough to be pressed toward the
too heavy. If in doubt, leave it out. side seams.

Baste and sew your side panel to the jacket

front, matching notches, and press the seam
open. If the jacket has significant waistline shap-
ing, there will be some constriction in the waist-
line area at the seam. Stretch the seam allowance
in the waistline area by steam pressing it into a
curve opposite to its shape. When the seam
allowance is then pressed open, the constriction
will have been relieved.
Slashing the seam allowance at the waist to
relieve this tightness weakens the garment un-
necessarily in this area, and it's always wise to

keep seam allowances in tact for possible future

alterations.

Gently press the jacket front from the

wrong side. You are now ready for the construc-
tion of the jacket pockets.

11
THE JACKET POCKETS
The most popular types of jacket pockets tute a double-piping pocket for a patch pocket,
are: or to add a flap if you wish.
• Welt Pocket The perfection of the pocket construction
• Double-Piping Pocket says much about the skill of the tailor. Because of
• Double-Piping Pocket with Flap the prominent position of the pockets on the
• Patch Pocket front of the jacket, any distortion in the pocket
line will call attention to itself, and detract from
The construction of these pockets is pre- the overall beauty of the jacket. We suggest that
sented here in great detail. Therefore, you need you practice the pocket construction on a fabric
not limit yourself to the style of the pocket given scrap before constructing them in your jacket
on your commercial pattern. Feel free to substi- fabric.

THE WELT POCKET

The breast welt pocket is 4 'A" (10.8 cm) Chalkmark the placement line on the jacket
long and about " (2.5 cm) wide, placed on the
1
front.If you have adjusted your pattern at the

left side of the jacket at approximately the level of front armhole, check to see that the pocket
the front sleeve notch. The placement line is placement line is at least 72" (3.8 cm) away
1

usually on a l
h" (1.3 cm) slant, lower right to from the armhole stitchline.
upper left when the jacket is worn.

78
 •'.•///•• .<•. '.'/:''. '•'
'.
'•'•./ > '.••.••.',

Cut a piece of woven fusible, on the cross-

grain, VI2" (1 1.4 cm) by (3.5 cm). Draw a 1W
3
/s" cm) margin along the bottom edge on the
( 1

unglued side. This line will eventually be the

stitchline for attaching the welt to the jacket.

Use a ]
U" (6 mm) seam to sew the top
edge of the garment fabric to the top of the
Trim away 'A" (6 mm) diagonals from the pocketing, and press the seam open.
upper right and lower left of the rectangle. This
will create the slant for the welt.

Press the fusible to the wrong side of a

3 edge
piece of the garment fabric, leaving /s" cm) Fold the garment fabric, using the top
W ( 1

fabric at each side and cm) at the top. It

( 1 .9 of the fusible as a guideline.
is important that the side of the fusible be parallel
with the straight grain of the garment fabric, and *
that the nap be down.

At either end of the fusible, baste the welt

to the pocketing, easing the welt slightly towards
the center. This easing creates a slight bulge in
the welt, which will ensure that the pocketing
edges will be hidden when the welt is turned to
the right side.
Cut two pieces of pocketing, 6" (15.2 cm) Machine-stitch just beyond the edge of the
by 6" (15.2 cm) on the straight grain, and cut a fusible. Tack the top, but not the bottom of each
]
h" (1 .3 cm) diagonal off the top of each piece. stitchline.

79
 Slash the pocket to the bottom of the stit- Carefully open the weit seam just enough
chlines. Trim the seam allowances to 'A" (6 mm) to expose the stitchline which is drawn on the
and trim the top corners. fusible.

Cut a piece of pocketing 2" (5 cm) by 6"

(15.2 cm) on the straight grain, and place it on
the wrong side of the jacket. The lower edge of
the pocketing should fall about h" (1.3 cm) ]

Press the seams open and turn the welt to

below the welt placement line which is drawn
the right side.
on the jacket front. Baste or pin the pocketing in
place. This piece of pocketing is called a rein-
forcement since its purpose is to strengthen the
fabric in the area in which we will be working.

Place the welt face down on the jacket

front, matching the stitchline which is drawn on
To assist in turning the corners, take one the fusible with the placement line drawn on the
stitch and gently both ends of the thread.
pull jacket. Don't be concerned if you notice that the
This is a safer procedure than poking the corners welt is upside down at this point; it should be.
from the inside with the point of the scissors. Baste, and then machine stitch the welt to
Press the welt on the right side. the jacket, tacking well at either end.

80
 —

v_ <

From the wrong side of the jacket the two

stitchlines will be clearly visible on the reinforce-
ment. Begin at the center and slash through the
reinforcement and the jacket fabric, directly be-
tween the two stitchlines. While you are cutting,
hold the welt seam allowance and the pocketing
Trim corners of the welt seam allowance.
safely out of the
cm) long each
way. Cut prongs about
atend. Slash very close to the
W
(1

last stitch on each line, but not close enough to

cut the threads. Cutting the prongs correctly is a

simple, but essential step in the construction of a
perfect pocket.

If the prongs, especially at the bottom, are

not snipped directly to the last stitch, your pocket
corners will pucker.

>
however, the cut overshoots the last
If,

stitch, you
will have a hole on the front of your

jacket at the ends of the pocket. Avoid any

puckers and holes by simply giving this step your
full attention.

second piece of pocketing under

Insert the
the welt seam allowance and stitch on the pock-
eting, very close to the welt seam allowance.
This should be about
stitchline W (1 cm)
shorter than the welt stitchline at either end.
Tack well at either end.

8
 ^

Reach through the opening and pull the The sides of the welt are attached to the
pocketing to the wrong side. Press open the jacket by a diagonal handstitch from the wrong
seam that attaches the welt to the jacket. side. The stitches should not be visible on the
outside. Machine-stitch the pocketing pieces to-
gether, and trim the seam allowance. Do not
trim the reinforcement piece. It will be used later
for attachment to the canvas.

On the front of the jacket, the welt should

now be sitting upright. Baste the pocket closed.

You may wish to add a decorative bartack

at eitherend of the top of the welt. If you wax
the buttonhole twist and press it between two
pieces of paper, the wax will melt into the thread
and give a better body. Take one stitch at either
it

end of the welt, and anchor the stitch on the

inside. The welt pocket is complete.

82
WELT POCKET (PLAIDS/STRIPES)

Because there are no darts or seams in the

area of the breast welt pocket, the plaid or stripe
should be able to run uninterrupted from the
jacket, through the welt, both vertically and
horizontally.

The best way to guarantee an accurate

match of fabric is to draw the plaid design on the

fusible, during the construction of the welt (page

78).
Place the trimmed fusible, glue side up, on
the jacket front, with the welt stitchline at the
pocket placement line. Draw the plaid design
lineson the edges of the fusible.
Place the marked fusible, glue side down,
on the wrong side of a piece of garment fabric,
matching the plaid. Be sure to match the plaid at Press the fusible in placeon the garment
the sides of the welt, as well as at top and fabric, and continue construction of the welt
bottom. pocket as previously discussed.

THE DOUBLE-PIPING POCKET

—l

The double-piping pocket on a woman's

jacket is approximately 5 V2" (14 cm) to S 2A"
(14.6 cm) long. The visible piping is 'A" (6 mm)
at top and bottom.
Draw the pocket placement line on the
jacket front using the hip curve. A slight curve,
lessthan '/s" (3 mm) deep at center, will be
almost imperceptible in the finished pocket, but
will help prevent the pocket from gaping open
when not in use. Remove the tailor tacks at
vL^^jW* ysuc VU VMS t£j/ VJ
either end of the pocket placement line and
chalkmark the ends.

83
 Place the second piece of piping face down
For each pocket cut two pieces of garment on the jacket front, nap up, the edges of both
fabric to be used as piping; one 8" (20.3 cm) by pieces of piping touching. Baste very close to the
1
>/2" (3.8 cm), the other 8" (20.3 cm) by 2" edge.
(5 cm), straight grain, nap down. Chalkmark on the top piping, indicating
either end of the pocket placement line.
Steam press the piping on a flat surface to
eliminate the rippling in the piping.

NHS £

Cut a piece of pocketing to be used as

reinforcement, 8" by 2 72" (20.3 by 6.4 cm),
straight grain. On the wrong side of the fabric,
center the reinforcement along the pocket place-
ment line. Baste or pin in place. Machine-stitch the piping to the jacket 'A"
(6 mm) above and below the placement line.

These stitchlines should not be exactly parallel.

The center of each stitchline should be slightly
closer to the placement line than the ends are.
Refer to the illustration as your guide for what
mm we mean by "slightly." This contour of the line
will not be visible in the finished pocket, and will
help prevent the pocket from gaping open when
not in use.

Place the wider piece of piping face down

on the jacket front, nap up. The top edge of the
piping should be flush with the placement line.

Baste very close to the edge, catching the piping,

the jacket, and the reinforcement. Because the very important that the ends of the two
It is

placement line is on a slight curve, some rippling stitchlines be directly aligned. If they are not, the
will appear at the center of the piping. sides of the finished pocket will slant rather than
Chalkmark on the piping, indicating either end of stand straight, and the whole effect will be
the pocket placement line. unprofessional.

84
 >.
5
Working on the wrong side of the jacket,
begin at the center and slash through the rein-
forcement and the garment fabric. Be careful to
hold back the piping so that it is not snipped in

the process.
Cut 3
/s" ( I cm) prongs at either end of the Using the seam allowance as a guide, and
slash, snipping as close as possible to the last ignoring the prongs for the moment, backstitch
stitch in either line. It is very important to slash by hand in the piping seam, using silk finishing
correctly here. thread. The piping must be kept even on top and
bottom, and the stitches should not be seen.
The pocket is now steam pressed on the
right side using a ham and covering the fabric
with a presscloth.

>=
stitch,
If the prong
there will be puckering
is

the jacket at either end of the pocket.

not snipped up to the
on the
last

right side of
-^ ^
Whip-stitch the piping closed so that it will

S not shift while we attend to the prongs.

on the other hand, the slash overshoots

If,

the last stitch, you will have a hole on the front

of your jacket at the ends of the pocket. Avoid
the puckers and the hole by simply giving this

step your full attention.

Push the prong to the wrong side and hold

it end of the pocket is a straight line,
so that the
Pull the piping to the wrong side and press not a slanted one. Backstitch the prong to the
the seams open. piping by hand for complete control.

85
 Cut a piece of pocketing, straight grain, 8" With the facing touching the wrong side
(20.3 cm) wide and 2" (5 cm) longer than twice sew the bottom edge of the pocket-
of the jacket,
the depth of the pocket. The pocket depth varies ing to the edge of the bottom piping. Use a '/V
with the length of the jacket, but the pocketing (6 mm) seam.
should extend no lower than about " (2.5 cm)
1

above the top of the finished jacket hem.

Cut a piece of garment fabric to be used as
facing, straight grain, nap down, 2" (5 cm) by 8"-
(20.3 cm). Topstitch a folded edge of the facing
to the top of the pocketing, leaving about ^h"
(1 .3 cm) pocketing above the facing.

86
 Pull the pocketing down and thumbnail
press the fold. Match the top edges of the pock-
eting and the top piping.

Machine-stitch on the reinforcement as

close as possible to the garment fabric. Stitch the Trim the seam allowance, but not the rein-
length of the pocket opening, pivot to catch the forcement. Layer the fabric above the top stit-

prong area, and continue out and around the chline, and snip away the excess fabric in the
pocketing. seam allowances to reduce the bulk.

87
 If you wish, bartack one stitch at either end
of the pocket, using silk buttonhole twist. you
If

wax the buttonhole twist and press it between a-

two pieces of paper, the wax will melt into the
twist and give it a better body.
The pocket remains basted closed until the
jacket is ready to be worn.

Steam press the finished pocket on the right

side of the fabric, using a ham and a presscloth.

DOUBLE-PIPING POCKET (PLAIDS/STRIPES)

The best pattern to use for a plaid or striped

fabric is one which eliminates the seam below

In almost all instances,two seams cut into the pocket by using a dart instead of a separate
the top of a hip-level, double-piping pocket— the side panel. The plaid below the pocket is then
front dart and the side panel seams.Depending undisturbed by seamlines. Above the pocket,
on the pattern, either one seam or no seam will you can't avoid seams if proper shaping is to be
continue below the pocket. achieved.

88
 In a striped fabric, cut the piping on the
crossgrain and place it on the jacket so that the
visible piping falls between the stripes, in the
solid area ofthe fabric. Cutting the piping in this
way avoids the question of matching a stripe on
the piping with a stripe on the jacket.
On a plaid fabric, the vertical matching
cannot be avoided. You can, however, cut the
piping to eliminate any horizontal lines on the
finished pocket.
Cut the piping on the straight grain, and
match the plaid lines at the center of the pocket.
The plaid on the jacket at the end of the pocket
will have been slightly distorted by the darts.
Simply match the piping at the center, and ig-
nore the slight mismatch at the ends of the
pocket. Even the most expensive custom-tailored
plaid jackets are not matched at the end of the
pocket.
We do not suggest cutting the piping on
the bias. This would avoid the matching problem
by introducing a completely different line, but it
would also leave us with bias, stretchable piping
which would cause the pocket to gape open.

THE CASH POCKET

4"

Once you are familiar with the construction

of the double-piping pocket, it is simple to add,
during construction, a smaller inner pocket, used
most commonly for loose change— a cash v/2"
pocket.
In needed for the
addition to the fabric
double-piping pocket, you need a piece of
will

pocketing, straight grain, 4" (10.2 cm) by 4 'A?"

(11.4 cm) by 4' h" (1 .4 cm), rounded slightly at
1

the bottom edges.

41/7"

89
 Press the seam open. Fold the bottom seam
allowance under, and topstitch it in place.

on the wrong
Place the cash pocket fabric
side of the pocketing, with the top edge of the
Cut about 2 h" (6.4 cm) from the top of
]
cash pocket just above the top seam allowance.
the main piece of pocketing, and then stitch the Stitch around the edge of the cash pocket using a
pieces together, using a 3 /s" (1 cm) seam. 3 1 a"
(1 cm) seam.

90
 I

* /
\ /

The garment fabric facing is now placed on The seam at the top edge of the cash
the right side of the pocketing. Place the folded pocket is now snipped open to allow access, and
edge of the facing along the pocketing seamline, the construction of the cash pocket is complete.
and topstitch the facing. The construction of the double-piping
If there on the double-piping pocket
is a flap pocket now continues.
you are making, there will beno facing. In this
case, simply topstitch just above the seamline,
holding the top seam allowance in place.

THE DOUBLE-PIPING POCKET WITH FLAP

The flap added to the double-piping pocket

is about 2' U" (5.7 cm) wide, finished. A flap
which extends out slightly at the lower back
edge compensates for the contour of the body
and is more graceful than a perfect rectangle.
The top edge of the flap should be '/e"
(3 mm) larger (a slight '/s") than the opening of
the pocket into which it will be placed. The extra
ease is taken by the body contour, and allows
the flap to fall comfortably. It is easier to be
accurate concerning the amount of ease in the V-i/ v£j/.v_u_\/_i<!_v/k .y k_i/ \J J \/ \j \j U-U v/c

flap if you make the flap first, and then the

pocket. n_

91
 To make a pattern for the flap, draw a Machine stitch around the three sides using
rectangle equal to the dimensions of the finished a '/V (6 mm) seam allowance. Stitch from the
flap. For a 5'/2 ff
(14 cm) pocket opening, this lining side to avoid slippage. Trim the seam al-

would be 5
5 /s" (14.3 cm) by 2' A"
At (5.7 cm). lowance to '/s" (3 mm) and turn the flap to the
the lower right corner, extend the rectangle by right side.
y
U" (6 mm). Add 3 U" (1.9 cm) seam allowance
at the top edge and X
W
(6 mm) around the
three sides. Use this pattern to cut flaps from
your garment fabric, straight grain, nap down.

A thin border of garment fabric should be

visible from the lining side.

Baste the flap face down on the right side of

a piece of lining, straight grain. Trim the lining
even with the flap.

For a crisp finish, prick-stitch along the edge

of the flap using silk finishing thread.

£ -J
Ls LS 's /_ /_\/_v j_\
—TJ/f//f///I/>
Vd. '/_i /_\ ;_>
>itII v /_\ i_i j__\ y_> (_5i

Baste around the flap close to the edge

easing the garment fabric in from the lining
about Vs" (3 mm). This will make the lining
slightly smaller than the flap, and will ensure that
the lining will not show at the edges of the
finished flap. Trim the excess lining.

92
 ~^ll

Press the flap from the right side, and baste

across the top of the flap to hold the lining in

place.
Measure up 2' W
(5.7 cm) from the bottom
of the flap and draw a chalkline. This is the
guideline for inserting the flap into the pocket
opening.

The double-piping pocket is now con-

structed according to the instructions given
above. When the prongs have been secured to
the piping (page 85), open the pocket and insert
the flap, using the chalkline on the flap as a
guide.

on the jacket Match the

n f) <\
Place the flap front.
chalkline on the pocket placement line
flap to the
on the jacket. Indicate the exact length of the flap
by chalkmarking the jacket at either end of the
flap.

Baste through the top piping to hold the

flap in place. The ]

/a" (3 mm) ease in the flap

should be drawn towards the center.

W W

The pocket opening should be made l&" ]

(3 mm) smaller than the flap. Therefore,

chalkmark '/is" (1.5 mm) in from either end of
the pocket placement line. Take these measure-
ments carefully. If the flap ismore than /a" (3]
From the wrong side of thejacket, baste the
mm) larger than the pocket opening, the finished pocket closed, catching one layer of the top
effect will be puckered and quite unprofessional. piping through the flap.

93
 Own iTtf w
i iif i ^
i rirriuiufi « m -ppnTuBBq

Using a ham, steam press the flap from the The inside of the pocket is completed ac-
wrong side. The ripples at the top of the flap cording to the instructions for the double-piping
should disappear. If they do not, steam press pocket, with the exception of the facing. Since
once more, this time from the right side of the the flap covers the pocket opening, the garment
pocket. fabric facing is not necessary at the top of the
pocketing. It may be eliminated completely, or
replaced by a less bulky facing of lining fabric.
When the pocketing is being machine
stitched to the top piping (page 86J, the flap is
also caught, and thus attached to the garment.

DOUBLE-PIPING POCKET WITH FLAP

(PLAIDS/STRIPES)

w 1

--
-

--4
i

\
Place the flap pattern (page 91) on the
jacket front, matching the flap placement line
and pocket placement line.

On draw lines around the

the pattern,
The best jacket pattern to use for a plaid or edges indicating the placement of the plaid de-
striped fabric is one which eliminates the seam sign. This procedure must be done for each
below the pocket by using a dart instead of a pocket, since the lines may differ slightly.

separate side panel (page 10). If there is no seam Place the flap pattern on the right side of
to distort the plaid lines below the pocket open- the plaid fabric so that the lines around the edges
ing, it is possible to cut the flap for a double- of the pattern coincide with those on the fabric.

piping pocket so that it matches the jacket fabric Cut the fabric and proceed with the con-
at the sides and bottom of the flap, as well as struction of the pocket (following the instructions
matching the piping at the top. given previously).

94
THE PATCH POCKET

The patch pocket is used on tailored jackets

when a more casual effect is desired.
For a hip-level patch pocket, the width at
the top edge is 5' h" (14
cm) to 5 3 /4" (14.6cm).
The depth is approximately 8" (20.3 cm), how-
ever, this will vary according to the length of the
jacket. The patch has a more graceful line if the
width at the bottom is about 1" (2.5 cm) larger
than at the top.
A breast-level patch pocket runs from 4' U"
(10.8 cm) to4'/2" (1 1.4 cm) at the top edge, and
isapproximately 5V2" (14 cm) deep. The width
at the bottom edge should be about h" more ]

than the top edge.

Chalkmark the pocket placement line, (the
top edge of the patch) on the front of the jacket.

Cut a piece of garment fabric in the dimen- Apply a lightweight woven fusible, bias cut,
sions of the desired pocket, plus " (2.5 cm) extra to the wrong side of the pocket, leaving '/•»"

fabric across the top and '/V (6 mm) seam (6 mm) margin of fabric free all around.
allowance on the other sides.
Notch both ends of the 1 (2.5 cm) fabric
extension.

95
 Cut a piece of lining, straight grain, slightly Trim the lining even with the patch.
larger than the garment fabric. Press down h" l

( 1 .3 cm) towards the wrong side at the top edge.

Place the lining and pocket together, right Working from the fusible side, baste around
sides touching; the folded edge of the lining the patch once more, this time easing the patch
should be V2" ( 1 .3 cm) below the notches at the in from the edge of the lining about Vs" (3 mm)
top of the pocket. Baste around the pocket, all around. This step ensures that the finished

about 1
i
hn (3.8 cm) in from the edge. patch will be slightly larger than the lining and
that the lining will not show at the edges.

96
 Trim the lining even with the patch Using a 'A" (6 mm) seam, machine stitch
around the pocket, tacking well at the top cor-
ners. Sew from the lining side to avoid slippage.
Trim the corners, remove the basting, and turn
the pocket to the right side.

Fold the 1" (2.5 cm) extension back onto Baste around the edges of the patch once
the lining and baste the ends down. more, and then steam press on the right side.

Use a handstitch to secure the folded edge of the

lining at the top of the pocket. The patch is ready
to be attached to the jacket.

97
 •: \:

x
'"•, "/ ////I |\ www \^ VN
Cut a piece of pocketing to be used as On the wrong side, secure the patch to the
reinforcement, straight grain, 3" (7.6 cm) wide jacket by hand, using a diagonal stitch and silk

and 2" (5 cm) longer than the top of the finished finishing thread. Double the stitch in the rein-
patch. Place the reinforcement on the wrong forcement area.
side of the jacket, centered over the pocket place-
ment line. Baste or pin in place.

On the right side, place the top of the patch You may choose to add a row of hand
at the pocket placement line. Baste the patch to topstitching to the front of the pocket. If so, use
the jacket. buttonhole twist which you have waxed, and
then pressed between two pieces of paper. The
heat will melt the wax into the twist and give the
thread a better body. If you wish, add a single
bartack at each corner of the pocket as a finish-
ing touch.

98
 PATCH POCKET (PLAIDS/STRIPES)

The plaid on the patch pocket should

match the plaid on the jacket perfectly along
both sides and at the bottom of the patch. There
will, however, be slight distortion in the plaid on

the jacket at either end of the pocket at the top

edge, due to the darts.

In order to cut the patch so that the plaid

lines match, place the patch pocket pattern
(page 95) on the front of the jacket. Fold back
the " (2.5 cm) extension at the top of the patch
I

and place the notches, which are at the top of

the patch, at the pocket placement line on the
jacket.Draw lines on the pattern, around the
edges, indicating the placement of the plaid de-
sign. This procedure must be done separately for
each pocket, since the lines may differ slightly.
Open
out the " (2.5 cm) extension which
I

was folded at the top of the patch, and place the

pattern on the right side of the plaid fabric, so
that the lines around the edges of the pattern
coincide with those on the fabric.
Cut the fabric and proceed with the con-
struction of the pocket, following the instructions
given above.

99
PREPARING THE CANVAS
The canvas in a woman's jacket is a light- designed to give the jacket a soft yet controlled
weight version of the understructure originally body, and to reduce the fabric's susceptibility to
designed for men's tailored jackets. wrinkling and stretching. In this section we will

For men's wear, the chest and front of the show the most commonly used canvas under-
shoulder are built up with padded layers of wool structure. On page 103 we show the full canvas
canvas interfacing, haircloth, French canvas, interlining.

and wool flannel. This solid breastplate is unnec- Remember that it is necessary to soak the
essary and unflattering to the feminine figure. canvas in cool water and drip dry before use to
The canvas in a woman's jacket, con- ensure against shrinkage.
structed entirely of wool canvas interfacing, is

The wool canvas interfacing is cut on the Draw the roll line. Lengthen the dart 1

straight grain using the jacket front pattern as (2.5 cm) at top and bottom, and draw new dart
guide. Trace around the pattern, h" (1.3 cm)
y

stitchlines.
from the edge at the armhole, shoulder, neck, Draw a curved line from the armhole to a
lapel, and jacket front. Leave a bit of extra fabric point on the waistline 2 ]
h" (6.4 cm) from the
at the hem curve and across the bottom of the dart stitchline. Curve gently from the waist to the
pattern. Extend the underarm line about 2" hem.
(5 cm) out at the side, to approximately the
center of the underarm.
Indicate on the canvas, the top and bottom
of the roll line and the dart points. Remove the

pattern.

00
 Cut out the canvas. There is no right or Cut a bias piece of canvas as reinforcement
wrong side of the canvas fabric, however, for for the front of the shoulder. The reinforcement
purposes of construction, indicate with an "X" should be the width of the shoulder, and extend
the wrong side of each piece. to just above underarm level.

Cut out the darts, using the dart stitchline as Baste the reinforcement to the wrong side

a cutting line. of the canvas, l

hn (1 .3 cm) in from the lapel roll

line.

The darts are closed by butting the edges

together, and topstitching a bias strip of pocket-
ing to the wrong side of the canvas. The dart is

reinforced by a row of zigzag stitching on top of

the pocketing strip.

10
 The reinforcement is now pad-stitched to
the canvas front.

The pad stitch is a diagonal stitch which is Here, because the stitch will not be visible
staggered from one row to the next. It isused to' in the finished jacket, can be done in basting
it

join two or more layers of fabric, so that they act thread and the amount of fabric picked up by the
as one, while maintaining their individual char- needle (the size of the stitch on the underside)
acteristics. If the stitches are pulled too tightly can be a generous '/s" (3 mm). The size of the
while padding, the fabric will pucker and create diagonal is a good 3
/s" (1 cm). Do not spend
bulky ridges between the rows. We will be using time measuring your stitches. Just get a general
the pad stitch at several points during the con- sense of the size, and proceed.
struction of the jacket.

02
ASSEMBLING THE CANVAS
The canvas and jacket front are now basted
together so that they may be handled as
unit during the construction of the jacket.
important that the jacket front lay smoothly over
the canvas. Any rippling visible on the garment
it has been basted to the canvas, will
fabric after
be impossible to press out. Therefore, several
rows of stitching are used to control the two
and great care is taken to gently
layers of fabric,
smooth the fabric ahead of the needle as you
baste. The arrows in the sketches indicate the
direction in which the fabric is smoothed.
On a flat surface, place the jacket front and
canvas together with the wrong side of the
jacket to the right side of the canvas. The canvas
AND JACKET
and jacket darts should meet. Since the canvas
one darts are longer (page 100), however, they will
It is extend above and below the jacket darts. A '/.•"
(1.3 cm) margin of canvas should be visible
around the outer edges of the jacket.
Beginning above the front dart, about 3"
(7.6 cm) below the shoulder, baste down the
front of the jacket, catching the canvas and
smoothing the garment fabric gently ahead in
the direction of the arrows. The stitches are
about '//' (3.8 cm) long and are left comfort-
1
ably without tension. Baste through the pockets,
using dart as guideline, and finish at the hem
foldlme.
103
 Before proceeding with the outside basting, Fold the garment fabric back in place.
the pockets must be secured into the canvas. Smooth and baste the fabric across the waistline
With one hand on the hip pocket to prevent the from the dart to * (2.5 cm) from the edge of the
I

garment fabric from shifting, tug gently upwards jacket.

at the tip of the canvas lapel. Gently is the word.
This should eliminate any rippling in the canvas
on the diagonal from the hip pocket to the lapel
tip.

Carefully fold back the garment fabric until Below the waistline, at approximately mid-
the ends of the pockets are visible. Baste one way on the second stitchline, baste down from
edge of the pocket seam allowance, and the waist to hem smoothing the fabric as indicated
reinforcement ends into the canvas using diago- by the arrows.
nal stitches.

04
 Approximately1" (2.5 cm) from the jacket Using the tailor tacks as a guide, chalkmark
edge, baste down
from the waist to just above the roll on the right side of the jacket.
line
the hem, and continue across to the end of the Stitchline #6 moves up from the waist into the
canvas. roll line. The fabric is smoothed up and out

between stitchlines #5 and #6 as the roll line is

basted.

f,

. ~ !_ji
4

1 i
; i

1 :

! 1

\
'
n
1 r 1 1

1 1
\
\

1 1

I 1

v
I.I
J |
|

V ""-""—f

Above the waist, the fabric is smoothed up If you are working on the left front of the
and out, as stitchline #5 rises from the waist to jacket, carefully fold back the fabric until the
3" (7.6 cm) below the shoulder. inside of the welt pocket is visible. One side of
the pocket has already been basted into the
canvas (page 104). Now, following the same
procedure as above, baste the second side of the
pocket into the canvas. This side of the hip
pocket cannot be basted, since it overshoots the
canvas. Fold the garment fabric back in place.

05
 Stitchline#7 runs across the top of the other
stitchlines, and traces the armhole, remaining 3"
(7.6 cm) away from the edge. The basting
curves into the waist, then out and down to the
hem. Smooth the fabric gently, following the
direction of the arrows.
With the basting completed, hold the jacket
front up and check that there is no rippling in the
garment fabric between the lines of basting.
Slight rippling is to be expected on the canvas
side, and serves as ease for the garment fabric.
Trim the canvas even with the jacket front.

^VV,^V^O,* v y v v vvvv.y , YvyVl*

\
'"J: — -~

The bias curve armhole is

of the jacket Cross-stitch the canvas into the seam allow-
basted into the canvas. Care should be taken not ance at the top of the pocket.
to stretch the fabric in this area. The assembly of canvas and jacket front is

complete.

06
PADSTITCHING THE LAPELS

In order to give the jacket lapel the crisp

body it will need in the finished jacket, the
canvas lapel is now padstitched (page 102) into
the jacket lapel.
Since these stitches will show through on
the underside of the lapel in the finished jacket,
use silk in a color that matches the gar-
thread
ment The stitches on the canvas side
fabric.

should be about 3 /s" (I cm) long. On the jacket

side, they should be tiny pinpricks.
As previously discussed, if the stitches are
pulled too tightly while padding, the canvas will
pucker and create ridges which will be obvious
through the facing on the finished garment.
Draw a chalkline on the canvas lapel indi-
cating the seam allowance. If you are working
on a peak lapel, add a line across the bottom of
the peak.

07
 From the canvas side, begin padstitching
•A" mm) beyond the roll line, working across
(6
the lapel in rows parallel to the roll line.

If you are working on a peak lapel, a sec-

ond rolling suggested. To prevent the peak
is

from drooping forward in the finished garment,

it is padstitched while held rolled towards the

jacket body.

About 1
]
h" (3.8 cm) past the roll line, turn
the lapel so that it takes the position it will have
in the finished jacket. Continue to padstitch with*
the lapel held in this position. This procedure of
rolling the lapel while padstitching ensures that
the garment fabric lapel willend up slightly
smaller than the canvas lapel, and will, therefore,
pull towards the jacket. It is exactly this inclina-
tion or pulling towards the jacket that we are
trying to create for a natural roll of the lapel.

108
 If your jacket is double-breasted, the left
front must be shortened at this point to prevent it
from hanging below the right front when the
jacket is buttoned. Shorten the front edge of the
canvas at the hem, by 3 /s" (1 cm), tapering to
nothing 7" (17.8 cm) in from the edge.

Beginning 'h" (1.3 cm) past the ro\\ line,

draw the seam allowance on the canvas—
across the top of the lapel, down the jacket front,
and across the hemline at the bottom of the
canvas.
Trim away the canvas in the seam allow-
ance. Be very careful as you cut the canvas, not
to cut the garment fabric.

_^r-

The lapel is now pressed from the canvas side.

09
 |

THE TAPING

Tape is now applied along the outer edge

of the lapel and jacket front to give a crisp,

defined edge to the jacket. The tape is also run

along the bias of the roll line, as additional
support.
Use 3 /s" (1 cm) cotton twill tape which has
been soaked in cool water and pressed. Begin-
ning V2" (1.3 cm) past the roll line, baste the
tape along the top of the lapel with the top edge
of the tape flush with the top edge of the
canvas.
At the tip of the lapel, slash the tape almost
to the end, and bring it down along the edge of
the lapel.

Win 1

'/'V/i /
1

'
/"i/i/i

1/1/
U/|V

HI
if

Snip away the overlap of tape at the lapel At the bottom of the roll line, place '/V
tip, and baste down the lapel and the jacket (6 mm) ease in the tape, so that the lapel will be
Extend the tape into the seam allowance,
front. free to fold over without restriction.

beyond the canvas, about '/i6 (1.5 mm). ff

 I

Tape across the top of the hem foldline with

the bottom edge of the tape on the hemline.

Using silk thread, cross-stitch along the roll-

line tape, stitching through all layers of fabric.

The should be along the very edge of
stitches
the tape to prevent it from curling up. You will
notice that the rippling in the jacket at the center
Tape is also applied, 'A" (6 mm) beyond of the roll line disappears as the tape is cross-
the roll line. Baste the tape, through all layers of stitched to the jacket.
fabric, from the neck edge down for about 3"
(7.6 cm). Take a couple of backstitches, and then
begin pulling the tape as you baste for the next
3" (7.6 cm) or so. Rippling should appear on
either side of the tape. Take a couple of back-
stitches at the end of the 3" (7.6 cm) span to
keep the rippling in place and continue basting
without pulling the tape.
Only the top two-thirds of the roll line area
is taped. The bottom third is left free to allow the
lapel to roll easily.

Pulling the roll-line tape creates the equiva-

lent of a dart through the roll line. In the finished
jacket, the effect is a roll line less inclined to pull
away from the body.

1 I 1
 Press the roll-line tape, allowing the lapel to
fall free.

The
rest of the tape is secured by slip-
stitchingalong both edges, using silk thread.
Along the outer edge of the tape, stitch through
to the right side of the fabric. The stitches should
be very small and sewn without pulling. On the
inner edge of the tape, stitching through all
layers can only be done in the lapel area. Below
the lapel catch only the canvas.If you were to

stitch through on the inner edge of the

all layers
tape below the lapel, these stitches would be
visible and unwelcomed down the front of the
finished jacket.

Trim the seam allowance along the jacket

front and at the top of the lapel, so that only X
W
(1.3 cm) seam allowance shows beyond the
tape.

12
FIRST FITTING

At this point in the jacket construction, the

first fitting is taken. Any minor discrepancies in fit

(due to the differences in the hang of the muslin

and the hang of the garment fabric) may be
foreseen and corrected.
The jacket is basted together at the back
and shoulder seams, and tried on by the client.
Place well-constructed shoulder pads in the
jacket for this fitting (page 137), so that the true
contour of the shoulder, as it will appear in the
finished jacket, may be observed.
With the
front of the jacket pinned closed at
the buttonhole markings, check the entire front,
back, and side of the jacket with a keen eye for
the creases we observed during the muslin
fitting.

Chalkmark, or pin, any minor fitting adjust-

ments. Check the shoulder width! If the cutting
edge at the top of the shoulder extends out well
beyond the shoulder edge, the fabric may need Give special attention to the armhole. With
trimming. As a guide, place a ruler at the bicep the client's arm resting comfortably at her side,
and let it extend up towards the shoulder. If the see if there is any wrinkling or pulling in the front
fabricextends out beyond the ruler at the shoul- notch area of the armhole. If there is, the jacket
der, the jacket shoulder is too wide and should fabric must be trimmed in this area (a small
be trimmed before attaching the shoulder pad. amount at a time).

With the arm still resting naturally at the

client's side, chalkmark on the hip-level pocket, a
line indicating the natural placement of the arm.

This chalkmark will be used in setting the sleeve

to fall either forward or backward, in accordance
with the position of the client's arm.
Remove the basting at the back and shoul-
der seams, and make whatever adjustments are
necessary.
The back seams will not be sewn until after

the facing is attached.

The shoulder seams will be sewn after the
body of the jacket has been lined.
If you have decided to make bound button-

holes on your jacket, they must be constructed

now, before the facing is attached. Handworked
buttonholes can wait until the jacket is com-
pleted.
The buttonhole section, which begins on
page 177 includes instructions for two types of
bound buttonholes and for the classic hand-
worked buttonhole constructed with gimp.
THE FACING
The facing plays a prominent role in the hand application of the facing seems to require a
finished jacket. It must be carefully cut and "feel" for the fabric— more confidence in one's
shaped, and laid gracefully o\/er the lapel, with ability to control the fabric.
enough ease to allow the lapel to roll freely. If the Many tailors use the hand application exclu-
grain is off, or the ease is missing, there will be because of the complete control it affords.
sively,

either ripples or strain on the front of the jacket.
The facing can be attached to the jacket
either by hand or by machine. (Read through
both procedures and decide which one you
would like to learn first.) The difference in the
amount of time it takes to complete either
method does not seem to be significant, al-
though one might expect this to be the case. The
Others, use it only for a plaid or striped fabric,
where matching the design requires precision.
There are also tailors who consider the hand
application inferior to the machine application,
because a facing seam, stitched by machine,
may be a more definite line, and more secure
than one stitched by hand. You decide which
method to use.

The outer edge of the facing, which you create a guideline for yourself by drawing the
have cut using the revised facing pattern (page lapelcurve on a piece of paper and pinning the
13), is a straight line, and, therefore, not shaped paper to your ironing board.
to match the front of thejacket. Before attaching Place the raw edge of the lapel area of the
the facing to the jacket,it will be necessary to facing along the guideline. Rippling will appear
steam press the lapel area of the facing into a at the center, edge of the facing, if we
inner
curve which matches that of thejacket lapel. shrink these ripples away, the front edge of the
If, in the beginning, you hesitate to trust facing will maintain the curve we have given it.

your eye to match the curve of lapel and facing,

14
 Here is where the flexibility of natural fibers The benefit of this is obvious in a striped or plaid
can be appreciated. On the wrong side of the fabric, since it allows the pattern to continue
fabric, and using steam liberally, iron from the uninterrupted from the top to bottom of the
outer edge of the lapel in, using progressively lapel. Less obvious, but no less important, is the
Depending on your fabric, this will
smaller arcs. having the strongest grain at the outer
fact that
require more or less effort; worsteds being a edge of the lapel will be a safeguard against
greater challenge than more loosely woven stretching and rippling in this area.
fibers.

The whole purpose of this effort is to main-

tain the straight of the grain at the lapel edge.

ATTACHING FACING BY MACHINE

Place the right side of the facing to the right

side of the jacket front, allowing ]
h" (1.3 cm)
facing to extend beyond the jacket at the top of
the lapel and down the front of the jacket.
Beginning at the tip of the lapel, baste down
through the center of the tape, attaching the
facing to thejacket. Just below the bottom of the
roll line, place about W (6 mm) ease in the
facing to accommodate the roll of the lapel. Tack
the ease into the tape so that it will remain
where you've placed it.

115
 iHi/

If the front of the jacket curves in at the Machine stitch from the collar notch to the
hem, the facing should be basted to the curve bottom of the jacket, using the tape as a guide-
using a slightly different technique. Since this line. Stitch about /\b" (1.5 mm) beyond the
]

area may be inclined to curl outwards, away tape, in the seam allowance.
from the body, in the finished jacket, roll the
bottom of the jacket towards the facing as you
baste. This will shorten the facing slightly, and
ensure that in the finished jacket the curved edge
will incline gently towards the body, rather than
curling outwards.

The tip of the lapel in the finished jacket For a good point at the tip of the lapel, take
should also incline comfortably towards the one or two stitches on the diagonal as you turn.
body, rather than curling upwards. For that rea- A sharp pivot at the tip will result in a misshapen,
son, a small bubble of ease is now placed in the. lumpy lapel tip, because there will not be
facing at the tip of the lapel. This will prevent the enough room for the seam allowance to settle
possibility of the facing pulling the lapel tip for- in.

ward. At the top of the lower the facing

lapel,
slightly to create the ease, about '/V (6 mm).
When the slight excess of fabric is visible at the
lapel tip, baste across the lapel, from the tip to

just beyond the collar notch.

1 16
 .

^J
i

i ,

I
Remove the basting, and layer the seam
If the front of the jacket is rounded at the allowances. From the bottom of thejacket to the
hem, stitch with the curve to the end of the tip of the lapel, trim thejacket seam allowance to
facing.
If the front of the jacket is straight at the
W (1 cm) and the facing to h" (1.3 cm).
]

hem, stitch down to the bottom edge.

From the notch and around the lapel

collar
tip, trim a bit closer. Leave about '/-i" (6 mm)
jacket seam allowance and
Press the facing
W
(I cm) facing.

seam open.

17
 If the front of the jacket is rounded at the
hem, the seam allowance at the curve is also
tacked into the tape.
If the front of the jacket is straight at the
hem, the facing seam allowance is tacked into
itself at the hem.
The tip of the lapel will be flatter if the seam The hem, on both straight and rounded
allowance inside is controlled and evenly distrib- jackets fronts, is now basted up with large diago-
uted. To accomplish this, both seam allowances nal stitches, and then stitched into the canvas
are drawn onto the tape at the lapel tip, one at a with a smaller diagonal stitch. (We'll leave the
time. A shirring thread is first run through the hem beyond the canvas for the moment.)
seam allowance and pulled. The seam allow-
ance is then tacked into the tape, using silk
thread. These stitches should not be visible on
the right side of the fabric.
The tip of the lapel is then pressed flat.
 Working from the jacket side, baste from
the bottom of the roll line, up and across to the

notch or from the collar notch down (de-

collar
pending on which hand you sew with and
which side of the jacket you are preparing). As
you baste, bring the facing seam to the jacket
side, so that it will not be seen when thejacket is

worn.

From the bottom of the lapel to the hem,

the basting is done on the facing side, and the

seam is drawn towards the facing side so that it

will not be visible when thejacket is worn.

On a jacket with a straight front, make sure,
that the facing is turned up so that it is a bit
shorter than thejacket, and will not be seen from
the outside.

119
 On the facing side, baste up from the bot- With the lapel rolled, as it will be when
tom of the roll once more and continue
line worn, baste on the diagonal from the tip of the
across, about " (2.5 cm) below the top of the
1 lapel, in towards the roll line.

tape. These stitches are about h" (1 .3 cm) long

x

and are placed comfortably, without pulling or

tautness.

From thejacket side, baste the length of the

roll line, catching the facing underneath.

20
 Chalkmark a straight line across the top of Fold the facing along the chalkline and
the lapel from the collar notch to cm)
]
h" (1.3 baste it in place, just covering the tape under-
past the roll line. The top of the tape should be neath. Trim, if necessary before folding.
directly under this chalkline. Press the top of the lapel and slip stitch from
Slash the facing (not the jacket) from the the collar notch to ]
h" cm) past the roll line.
( 1 .3

neck edge to this ]

h" (1 .3 cm) point. The facing is now pressed before continuing (see
illustration on page 115).

ATTACHING FACING BY HAND

To attach the facing by hand, the seam

allowance at the outer edge of the lapel and
down the front of the jacket should be trimmed
to 3 /s" (1 cm). The seam allowance from the tip
of the lapel to the collar notch should be
'A" (6 mm).
Snip the collar notch "almost" to the tape,
and using the edge of the tape as a foldline,
begin stitching the seam allowance onto the
tape. Use a diagonal stitch, with silk finishing
thread, catching the tapeand the canvas.
Be gentle with the fabric. The seam allow-
ance should simply fold onto the tape, and not
be pulled tightly.

The hem is also folded up, using the tape as

a guide, and diagonal-stitched into the canvas.

12
 I

Jackets which are shaped at the bottom

front will be inclined to curl outwards, away
from the body, unless the facing is manipulated
to prevent this. If the bottom edge of thejacket is
curled inwards, and basted to the facing while
Place the wrong side of the facing (which held in this position, the finished jacket will in-
has been steam pressed into shape, page 1 1 5) to cline gently towards the body at the front edge.
the wrong side of the jacket front, leaving a
generous l
h" (1.3 cm) of facing around
visible
the outer edge of the jacket. Baste the facing and
the jacket together, following the stitches that
mark the length of the roll line, and then down
the front edge of the jacket. At the bottom of the
roll line, place 'A" (6 mm) ease in the facing to
facilitate the roll of the lapel.
If your jacket is straight at the hem, con-
tinue basting down the entire front. If your jacket

curves in at thehem (as illustrated), stop basting

about 8" (20.3 cm) or so from the bottom.

With the lapel rolled in the position it will

take in the finished jacket, baste a row of diago-

nal stitches, parallel to the roll line.

22
 Baste across the top of the lapel,
to the bottom of the
and down
from
Trim facing seam allowance to
collar notch to the bottom of
(1 cm)

thejacket. The
W
roll line, keeping the stitches
about }" (2.5 cm) away from the edge of the facing from collar notch to shoulder is just about
jacket lapel. even with thejacket.

With the lapel still rolled, baste a diagonal On the facing, chalkmark a line which ex-
line of stitches from the tip of the lapel basting tends from the collar notch to '//' (1 .3 cm) past
stitches, to just past the roll line. the roll The chalklme is exactly where the
line.

top of the tape is on thejacket. This line is called

the gorge line.

Snip the facing to a point on the gorge line

7/' (1.3 cm) past the roll line.

23
 and baste the facing seam allowance
Fold Using silk finishing thread, slipstitch along
along the gorge line and down the front of the the edge of the facing seam. The stitches should
lapel. Allow facing to extend about '/i6" be quite small, andcarefully placed, so that they
(1.5 mm) beyond the jacket lapel, so that the are not visible from the outside. The facing
facing seam will not be visible when the jacket is should now be pressed (page 115).
worn.
The facing seam, from the bottom of the
roll line to the bottom of thejacket, should not be

visible on the right side of thejacket. Therefore,

as you baste on the facing side in this area, allow
about '/i6" (1.5 mm) of thejacket to extend
beyond the facing.

24
 J

THE FACING POCKET

Cut a bias strip of woven fusible interfacing,

6" by 2" (1 5.2 by 5 cm). Press the fusible to the
lining strip,
]
W (1 cm) from the left edge, and

h" (1 .3 cm) from top and bottom.

Draw a 5" (12.7 cm) pocket opening line

down the center of the fusible, and press the

A small double-piping pocket may be con- right-hand margin of lining up onto the fusible.
structed in the facing if you wish, be used for
to
small flat objects such as theatre tickets, or paper
money. (Also see lining pocket on page 134.

Using the pattern marked facing pocket on

page 305, cut two pieces of lining for each
pocket.

Place one of the lining pieces under the

facing at the center of the lapel. Place the lining/
fusible unit on top of the facing with the pocket
opening line extending at least '//' (3.8 cm)
1

beyond the lapel roll line, and the fold on the

lining/fusible unit away from the roll line.

For a facing pocket with a 5" (12.7 cm) Baste the lining/fusible unit to the facing,
opening, cut a bias strip of lining 7" by 3" 7.8 ( 1 catching the pocket shape underneath. Baste on
by 7.6 cm). the pocket opening line.

25
 Inn I

i
i

I
i

~7V
Using a small machine stitch, sew around Bring the lining/fusible unit through the
the pocket opening line,
]
l&" (3 mmj from the slash, leaving a thin piping visible. Baste the
line. piping in place, about 'A" (6 mm) away from
the piping edge. Baste the piping closed.

St

ft

Slash the center of the stitching, and cut

prongs at either end.

Machine-stitch on the seamline at the top

and bottom of the piping, and along the side of
the piping furthest from the lapel roll line.

26
 On the inside, topstitch the folded edge of On the inside, sew around the outer edge
the lining/fusible unit to the pocket shape. of the pocket shapes.
The facing pocket is complete.

Place the second pocket shape under the

first, matching the edges.
Machine-stitch on the seamline at the top
and bottom of the piping, and along the side of
the piping nearest to the lapel roll line.

21
THE LINING
1 W of lining overlaps facing

1 W-

The purpose of a lining is to hide all the Using the back and side panel pattern
front,
threads and seams and layers of canvas that pieces, cut the lining larger than the pattern by
have gone into the jacket's construction to this the amounts indicated in these illustrations. The
point. It also helps in sliding the jacket on and off broken line on the jacket front pattern piece
without and feels much better through
difficulty, represents the point to which the facing extends.
a blouse than wool canvas does. Draw this line on your jacket front pattern so
The lining should be cut slightly larger than that you will be able to mark the lining to overlap
the jacket, in both length and width, even the facing by 1 h" (3.8 cm).
l

though it is placed inside. The constant pulling If there is no side panel, the lining at the side

and friction which the lining is subject to will seam is cut 'A" (6 mm) larger than the jacket
cause tears in the lining fabric if there is not rather than '/s" (3 mm).
sufficient living ease.

28
 "

To afford added ease in the back lining, the Above the vent, press the center back lin-

seam at the center back is sewn in a scalloped ing seam allowance to the left. Slash the top of
fashion. This creates a controlled pleat which the right vent almost to the stitchline. Trim 1

willopen out only when required to by the (2.5 cm) lengthwise from the left vent.
body's movement. The seamline begins at the
lining neck edge, at what was the seamline on
the jacket pattern.
Sew down approximately 2" (5 cm) and
then begin a series of three or four scallops,
about 3" (7.6 cm) each in length, extending
back the depth of your jacket seam allowance.
The h" ]

(1 .3 cm), which we added to the lining

center back, serves simply as seam allowance for
the inner edges of the scallops. The pleats are
needed only above the waist.
The stitchline ends about 1
" (2.5 cm) below
the top of the lining vent. If there is no vent, the
stitchline below the waist continues along the
jacket seam allowance.

29
 I

Sew the front, back, and side lining pieces

together, using the same amount of seam allow-
ance as in the jacket. Leave the shoulder seam
open. Press all seams to the side rather than
pressing them open.

Before stitching the jacket center back tions, since we are viewing thejacket from the
seam, we'll reinforce the vent area with cross- inside.)

grain strips of pocketing, about 2" (5 cm) wide, On the right side of thejacket back, place
from the top of the vent to the hem foldline. the reinforcement on the vent extension, flush
Draw a chalkline from the bottom of the center with the chalkline. Leave x
h" (1.3 cm) of the
back stitchline to the vent notch at the bottom of garment fabric visible at the edge.
the jacket. Use the chalkline as a guide for the On the left side of the jacket back, the
placement of the pocketing reinforcement reinforcement is placed, not on the vent exten-
pieces. sion, but directly to the right of it, flush with the
Because the left side of the vent will fold vent chalkline.
and the right side will lie flat in the finished Baste the reinforcement pieces in place and
jacket, the pocketing pieces are placed in slightly slip-stitch the sides using silk finishing thread. The
different positions on either side, to accommo- stitches should not be visible on the right side of
date that difference. (You will note that left and the garment fabric.
right sides of thejacket are reversed in the illustra-

30
 "

J=n

H-

On the right vent, fold over the V2" (1.3

cm) of garment fabric at the vent edge, and
diagonal stitch it in place. The stitches should not
show through on the right side.

Trim the vent extension completely, so

left

that the seam allowance down the center back is

even from top to bottom.

Machine-stitch the back of the jacket to the

side panels, and press the seams open.
Baste up the jacket hem and press.
Fold the top edge of the jacket hem forward
and hem-stitch it in place.

££
Machine-stitch the center back seam to 1

(2.5 cm) below the top of the vent. At the top of

the right vent, slash the garment fabric almost to The raw edge of the facing, and that of the
the stitchline. left vent, are double cross-stitched to the hem
Baste up about half the hem on either side Slip-stitch the hem along the edge of the
of the jacket back, and fold the vent in place. right vent.

31
 Working flat on a table, place the lining and together from neckline to 1
" (2.5 cm) above the
the jacket together, wrong side to wrong side, top of the vent, placing a small amount of ease in

matching waistline notches. Pin the lining to the the lining.

jacket at the waistline. Baste the lining andjacket

Fold the lining over the left vent, leaving The right vent is now placed on top of the
about 'A" (6 mm) of garment fabric showing at left vent, and back-stitched securely along the
the edge. Baste the lining in place to just above top. Stitch through to the top of the left vent,
the top of the hem. which is underneath, but do not go through to
the right side of the fabric.

32
 Fold and baste the right vent lining over the
right vent, so that only a narrow edge of gar-
ment fabric is visible at the vent edge.

The lining is now basted to the jacket as

illustrated, maintaining sufficient room around
the shoulderand armhole for the sleeve to be set
without interference. The lining is simply folded
along the edge of the facing and basted.

33
 Baste up the lining hem so that it ends
about W
(1 .9 cm) above the jacket he"m. Place

your stitches about " (2.5 cm) above the lining

1

hem fold, so that you will be able to lift the lining

and hem-stitch one layer of it into the jacket
hem. This procedure creates a fold at the lining
hem, which affords the lining lengthwise ease.
The lining at the edge of the vent is finished
with a prick-stitch.

THE LINING POCKET

you have not chosen to place a pocket in

If Press a ]
h" (1 .3 cm) hem along the length
the jacket facing (see page 125), you may wish of each pocketing piece.
to create a small pocket in the lining on one or
both sides of the jacket front.
From lining fabric, on the straight grain, cut
two pieces of pocketing, 8" (20.3 cm) long and
4" (10.2 cm) wide. Taper the pocketing so that it

is narrower at the top, as illustrated.

34
 Press a (1 .3 cm) hem to the wrong side Baste the folded edge of the jacket front
]
li"
along the front edge of your jacket front lining; lining along the edge of thejacket facing, match-
and place the folded edge of your pocketing ing the 5" (12.7 cm) rows of stitching on both
piece under the lining fold, at about mid-chest facing and lining.
level.

Prick-stitch along the edge of the lining fold,

beginning about Vz" (3.8 cm) below the top of
1

the pocketing piece, continuing for 5" (12.7 cm).

Both the pocketing piece and the lining are
caught in these stitches.

edge of the second piece of

Place the folded Stitch around the edges of the two pocket-
pocketing on the edge of the jacket front facing. ing pieces, to finish the inside of the lining
The placement level here must coincide with pocket.
that chosen for the lining, since these two pieces
will soon be placed together.
Prick-stitch along the edge of the pocketing
fold, beginning about h" (3.8 cm) below the
1
]

top of the pocketing piece, and continuing for 5"

(12.7 cm). Both the pocketing piece and the
facing edge are caught in these stitches.

35
THE SHOULDER SEAMS

Before stitching the shoulder seams, the

front shoulder must be reinforced with a strip of
Cut a semi-bias strip of the lining to be
lining.
used as reinforcement, about (1 .9 cm) wide

and the length of the front shoulder seam.

W
Baste the lining strip to the wrong side of
the garment fabric, at the front shoulder edge.
Catch the garment fabric only, allowing the can-
vas and the lining to fall freely.

Baste the front and back of the jacket to-

gether at the shoulder seams. Since the back
shoulder edge is about V2" ( 1 .3 cm) longer than
the front (page 12), there will be rippling along
the edge of the back seam when the shoulder is

basted. Bring the ease to the center of the shoul-

der, leaving 1" (2.5 cm) or so at either end
without rippling.
The back of the shoulder is
extra ease at the
there to provide added room for the curve of the
back in the shoulder blade area. We can elimi-
nate the rippling at the seam, and still retain the
ease in the shoulder blade area, by steam press-
ing carefully, before the shoulder seam is
machine-stitched.
Steam press on a flat surface, allowing the
iron to extend onto the fabric no more than
1 V2" (3.8 cm) or so. Bring the iron flat down on
top of the ripples at the shoulder edge. The
combination of heat and moisture on the flat

surface, should cause the ripples to shrink away.

If allowed to extend further onto
the iron is

the shoulder area, while still on a flat surface, the

ease in the shoulder blade area will also shrink
away, and the whole process will have been
useless.
It is be done
essential that this pressing
while the shoulder seam and not yet is basted,
machine-stitched. Once the seam has been
machine-stitched, it will be impossible to elimi-
nate the ripples.

Machine-stitch the shoulder seam, remove

the basting, and press the seam open. Use a
tailor's ham for pressing here, in order to protect
the shape you have created.

36
THE SHOULDER PADS

The shoulder pad at the right in this photo- the filler, and bias muslin as the top and bottom
graph is the best ready-made shoulder pad avail- covering. (Use the shoulder pad pattern on page
able. As you can see, it is flat and heavy, and 299 to cut the muslin coverings.)
does not coincide with the natural contour of Cotton wadding is available in bulk at up-
the shoulder. holstery supply stores; or, if you prefer, simply
The shoulder pad at the left can be con- take the wadding from a pair of ready-made
structed quite simply, using cotton wadding as shoulder pads and reshape it.

Separate the wadding into thin layers, and Press down gently at the front centermost
create on the muslin shoulder-pad pattern, a edge of the pad and measure the thickness. The
smooth, sloping mound which tapers to nothing amount of padding most flattering to your shoul-
at the sides and back. der has been determined at the muslin fitting.

137
 I

Cover the wadding with a second piece of Pad-stitch the shoulder pad from end to
muslin and baste across the top of the pad to end, beginning at the center and working in
anchor the layers together. By pulling the bottom rows, first towards the front, and then, from the
layer of the muslin cover down a bit, and tacking center, towards the back. The stitches go right
at either end, the pad begins to take shape. through all layers of the filling, and should be left
comfortably without pulling.

Trim slightly across the front of the pad and

around the edges.

38
Press the shoulder pad, maintaining the curve you have created.

39
INSERTING SHOULDER PADS

If the cutting edge at the top of the shoulder

extends out beyond the shoulder edge, the fabric
may need trimming. As a guide, place a ruler at
the bicep, extending up towards the shoulder
(see page 1 1 2). If the fabric extends out beyond
the ruler at the shoulder, the jacket shoulder is

too wide and should be trimmed before attach-

ing the shoulder pad.
The shoulder pad is placed into the armhole
of the jacket, so that the center of the pad is at
the shoulder seam.
The pad should be between the lining and
the canvas, at the armhole cutting edge.
Before the shoulder pad is sewn into the Sometimes, when the top of the shoulder
jacket, check the shoulder width once more, pad isat the armhole cutting edge, the ends of
with the pad in place. the pad are not. Pull the shoulder pad out until

the ends of the pad are at the armhole cutting

edge. You can trim the excess later.

With the shoulder pad exactly in place,

reach into the armhole and pin the shoulder pad
to the canvas. The shoulder pad is now pad-
stitched to the canvas, the stitches covering the
entire area of the canvas touched by the pad.
Stitch through all layers of padding.

40
 Smooth the front lining up over the shoul-
der pad and baste the lining to the pad along the
armhole and across the top of the lining.
With one hand inside the shoulder area,
give the shoulder a concave shape and baste
along the front neck edge of the jacket, catching
the facing.
Smooth the jacket fabric out towards the
armhole, and baste the entire length of the
shoulder pad, about 3" (7.6 cm) in from the
armhole edge. Catch the top layer of the shoul-
der pad as you baste.
The lining at the back of the jacket is still
hanging loose at the shoulder. Smooth the back
lining up over the shoulder pad and baste from
the outside, right through the shoulder pad, to
catch the lining. Baste from the bottom end of
the shoulder pad up, stopping about " (2.5 cm)
1
from the shoulder seam; and bring the needle
through to the inside.
41
 Fold the back iining across the shoulder,
and baste across the fold, towards the neck
edge. Place a bit of ease into the back lining as
you baste. The lining is left loose, 3" (7.6 cm) in
from the armhole edge.

THE COLLAR
The collar can be constructed by following
the design lines of your pattern, or in a way that
leaves room for a bit of your own designing.
Essential to both methods of construction is the
fit of the undercollar at the jacket neckline, from
collar notch to collar notch.
If fitting, you adjusted
during the muslin
any of the seams that extend into the neckline,
you are already aware that your undercollar
pattern needs adjusting. You may, however,
have "unintentionally" adjusted some of the
neckline seams. The first step is to check the fit of
the undercollar pattern.

To do this, first trim away the seam allow-

ance on the undercollar paper pattern. You will
eventually need this seam allowance, but it is
much easier to check the fit of the paper pattern
if the seam allowance is not in the way.

42
 Chalkmark the neck edge seam allowance
on thejacket, and match the undercollar pattern,
stitchline to stitchline, from collar notch to center
back seam, first on one side of thejacket, and
then on the other.
If you need an extra '/s" (3 mm) or so, to
help the pattern reach the entire distance com-
fortably, add to the collar pattern at the center
back seam. If you are in doubt, remember that it
is much easier to work with a collar which is
slightly larger than necessary, than it is to work
with one which is slightly too small.
It is possible in checking the pattern, to find
that it fits well on one side of thejacket, but not
on the other. Whatever the cause (slight inaccur-
acies in stitching the shoulder seams, or the
center back seam), you must now make a collar
that is larger on one side than on the other. This
isnot a problem. Simply prepare both sides of the
collar using the larger dimensions, and we'll
adjust it later.

\f you have made extensive alterations in

your jacket pattern at the neckline and shoulder,

it may be necessary to discard the collar pattern

and to draft a completely new one. Instructions

for drafting a collar, using thejacket neck edge as
guide, are found on page 156.
Once you are content with the fit of your
undercollar pattern, consider the design. At this
point you are still free either to redesign the
collar, or to go with the collar design of the
commercial pattern.

Many tailors leave the question of design

until the undercollar has been attached to the
jacket. They leave themselves room for design-
ing by cutting the top and the ends of the melton
undercollar much larger than necessary. When
the undercollar has been attached to thejacket,
they simply draw which looks good with
a collar Our instructions for the construction of the
the existing lapel, and trim the excess away. This undercollar will assume that you are following
is a simple procedure, and quite exciting if you the lines of the commercial pattern. However,
have the desire to branch out a bit on your own. the instructions are appropriate for both methods
On the other hand, the collars designed by of collar construction.The careful measurement
commercial patternmakers are usually in tasteful ofseam allowances at the top of the collar is not
balance with thejacket lapel, and you may have important if you are designing your own coll. if,

chosen this pattern largely because of this style. however, the shape and seam allowances at the
Know your options, make your choice and forge neck edge of the undercollar should be adhered
ahead. to carefully.

143
CONSTRUCTING THE UNDERCOLLAR
The undercollar is constructed of collar
melton and French canvas, pad-stitched to-
gether. If you can find good quality prepadded
collar melton, in the color that you need, by all
means use it instead of pad-stitching the melton
and French canvas together yourself. Because
the quality of the prepadded collar melton varies
greatly and the co\or choice is often limited, we
give directions here for preparing and pad-
stitching the undercollar yourself.

Cut from collar melton, in a color which

coordinates with your garment fabric, two bias
undercollar pieces. Leave ]

h" (1.3 cmj seam

allowance at the outer edges and 'A" (6 mm)
seam allowance at the center back. Machine-
stitch the center back seam and press it open.

Using the same dimensions as in the collar

melton, cut from French collar canvas, two bias
undercollar pieces. Overlap the center back
seam and topstitch by machine.

Place the French canvas on the wrong side

of the collar melton, and between the two, at
either end, place a bias piece of pocketing to add
body to the front of the collar. The pocketing
covers about one half of either side of the un-
dercollar. Baste the French canvas, the pocket-
ing, and the melton together.

144
 The French canvas is now pad-stitched canvas undercollar. Pad-stitch inside and then,
(page 102) to the melton undercollar. want We beyond the semi-circle, maintaining the circular
the two fabrics joined, but still flexible enough to pattern of stitches. Use silk finishing thread close
be shaped with the iron. To maintain this con- in color to the collar melton, so that the stitches
trolled flexibility, we'll pad-stitch in a semi-circular will not be noticeable on the right side of the
pattern, which coincides with the bias cut of the undercollar. Pad-stitch only within the limits of
fabric. the seam allowance which is drawn on the
Using a radius of about 2" (5 cm), draw a canvas.
semi-circle at the neck edge stitchline of the

The tips of the collar, about 2" (5 cm) from

either end, are pad-stitched while held in a rolled
position (as illustrated). This technique ensures
that, in the finished jacket, the collar tips will

incline downwards towards the shoulder, rather

than curling up.
Press the undercollar on the canvas side, on
a flat surface.

45
 Since both the melton and the canvas are If your measurement of the jacket neck
cut on the bias, a certain amount of stretching edge showed one side slightly smaller than the
will occur during the pad-stitching. Our next other, the adjustment in the collar can be made
step, therefore, is to redraw the undercollar at this point. Before drawing the smaller of the
stitchline, this time on the right side of the collar. two sides of the collar, fold back the necessary
Sharpen the chalk so that you get a clean, amount on the paper pattern, at center back.
accurate line. Begin at the center back, and draw Place the folded edge of the pattern at the center
first one side of the undercollar and then the back of the melton undercollar, and trace the
other. Also mark the undercollar roll line, in outline.
chalk, and then in basting thread.

From the melton side, trim away the seam

allowance completely— top, bottom, sides.

Trim a Vs" (3 mm) margin of canvas from

the top and bottom edges of the undercollar.
We're doing this to prevent the raw edges of the
canvas from peeking through to the outside.
There is no need to trim the canvas at the ends
of the undercollar, since the to'pcollar will even-
tually hide any stray canvas threads in this area.

46
 sloped shoulders square shoulders

normal shoulders

The undercollar is now pressed into shape,

taking into consideration the slope of the client's
shoulder.

square shoulders

Fold the collar on the roll line and baste it in lapel. If, for example, a collar shaped to fit normal
place. shoulders was set on a jacket shaped to fit sloped
Using a moderate amount of steam, press shoulders, the lapel would not lie flat. It would lift
the folded edge into an arc, the depth of which up, away from the jacket. A "sloped collar"
depends on your determination of the client's placed on would cause the
a normal neckline
shoulders as sloped, normal, or square. For jacket to pull away from the body at the lapel roll
sloped shoulders, the depth of the arc is about line. These are slight inclinations in one direction

1 V2" (3.8 cm); for normal shoulders, 2" (5 cm), or another, but they are there, and they make a
and for square shoulders, 2W (7 cm). This significant difference in comfort and fit.
shaping is a fine point in the fit of the collar and

47
 While shaping the undercollar you will
have pressed a crease in the roll line. Now,
remove the basting which held the neck edge
back, and for a few inches at either end of the
roll line, press the crease out.

48
 Begin basting the undercollar to the jacket
at the center back seam. The raw edge of one
side of the undercollar is placed along the chalk

guideline which you've drawn at the neckline.

The front end of the collar should fall at the collar
notch.

If you have left your undercol-

extra fabric in
lar in order to be free to design the collar shape in
reference to the lapel (page 144), do that now.
Measure both sides of the collar accurately, as
any discrepancy in length will be in full view on
the front of the jacket.
It is customary to stop at this point in the
construction of the collar, and to move ahead to
the sleeve. Once a muslin sleeve has been set
into the jacket, the client is called in for the final
fitting. At the fitting, both the collar and the
sleeve are checked for fit, and the collar is

checked for style.

The second half of the undercollar is basted you are making the jacket for yourself,
If

beginning at the front, and working around and you are pleased with the collar shape, by all
towards the center back. Before beginning to means, finish now. If you are working for
it

baste the second half of the undercollar make someone else, you can reduce the number of
sure that the distance from the tip of the lapel to fittings by moving ahead to the sleeve at this

the beginning of the collar is identical on each point.

lapel. After the fitting, the collar is finished before
Working on the canvas side, cross-stitch the garment fabric sleeve is set.

the undercollar to the jacket neckline. Use silk

finishing thread, andalong the gorge line

stitch
seam allowance, across the top of the facing,
and the back neckline. Do not catch the back
lining in this stitch.

49
CONSTRUCTING THE TOPCOLLAR
To create the topcollar, cut a piece of gar- tern and about h* (3.8 cm)
1
x
larger than the
ment fabric on the fold, straight grain, nap up, pattern, on top and bottom.

1 h",
(3.8 cm) longer than the undercollar pat-

Using a steam iron, stretch the fabric top and bottom.

150
 Place the undercollar face down on the
wrong side of the topcollar, and baste the two
together, from gorge line to gorge line, across
the undercollar roll line.

Baste across the top of the undercollar,

about 1" (2.5 cm) from the edge.

Trim the topcollar, leaving

allowance visible
W (1 cm) seam
above the top of the undercol-
lar, and 1" (2.5 cm) at the sides.

51
 Baste across the top of the topcollar, folding The is trimmed, if necessary, and
topcollar
the seam allowance to the Allow the
inside. then folded along the gorge line. From the collar
topcollar fold to extend about Vs" (3 mm) above notch to just past the roll line, the topcollar fold
the undercollar, so that the seam will not be meets flush with the fold of fabric on the facing
visible when the jacket is worn. Both the top lapel. Beginning just past the roll line and contin-
edge and the neck edge of the undercollar are uing to just past the lining shoulder seam, the
finished with a slip-stitch, using silk thread. topcollar fold overlaps onto the facing.

With the topcollar flat on the table, baste

across the undercollar just below the roll line,
catching the topcollar fabric underneath.

Just past the lining shoulder seam, the top- the undercollar. Since these stitches will remain
collar is slashed several times so that be it will in the jacket, make sure that they do not show
able to take the curve of the neckline without through to the right side.

pulling. Baste along the back neckline, catching

52
 The lining is now folded and basted in place
along the neckline. Finish the lining neck edge
with a prick-stitch, using silk thread.

The excess fabric at either end of the collar

is now folded back and pressed in place. It is
finished with a slip-stitch at top and bottom, and
a double-cross-stitch along the raw edge. Use
silk finishing thread.

53
 The gorge line is now sewn from the out-
side using a ladder stitch, to bring the topcollar
fold and the facing fold together without visible
stitching.The stitch is taken at the side of the fold
rather than on top, and runs back and forth from
facing to topcollar. After each three or four
stitches, one stitch is taken at the center, be-
tween the two folds, anchoring the thread into
the canvas.

With the collar complete, a final touch is

added to the jacket front. Using #A silk thread,
prick-stitch along the very edge of the collar, the
lapel, and the jacket front, on the topside of the

fabric. These stitches should be tiny and unno-

ticed. Their purpose is to guarantee a perma-

nently crisp edge.

54
 \ — ^

PLAID AND STRIPED COLLARS

======== — =—
= ======== ===== ^=::^=
= = = = ==== = = == =
=

^~T~-

1
'
S
P^ 1
i

—(N
N
—
IS
N
\
^
'
i

The topcollar on a plaid or striped jacket Chalkmark on the canvas of the completed
should match the design at the top of the jacket undercollar, short vertical lines which indicate
back. Note that in a plaid fabric this matching the position of the centermost vertical bars in the
should be both horizontal as well as vertical. plaid or striped fabric design. If a plaid fabric,
rather than a stripe is being used, it is also
necessary to draw on the undercollar a horizon-
tal line, indicating the next horizontal bar of the
plaid design.
Transfer these guidelines to your paper un-
dercollar pattern.
Use the undercollar pattern, from which all
seam allowance has been trimmed, to cut the
topcollar from garment fabric. With the fold of
the fabric at center back, carefully match the
design guidelines, which are on the paper pat-
tern, with those on the fabric. Cut the topcollar
n
1
]

l2 (3.8 cm) larger than the pattern all around.

You will be able to match striped fabric at

3
the gorge line if the stripes in the fabric are I&"
cm) or To match stripes, which are
less apart.
( I

farther apart than (1 W

cm) or so, would
require excessive shrinking of the top collar at the
neck edge.
In a plaid, matching the design at the gorge
line is virtually impossible.

55
 The attachment of the plaid topcollar con-
which begin
tinues according to the instructions
on page 50. The one point to remember is to
1

match the design guidelines which were drawn

on the canvas undercollar, with the topcollar
fabric design, before beginning to baste.
The striped topcollar must be pinned in

place before being basted, so that the topcollar

fabric can be placed to match not only at the
center back of the jacket, but also at the gorge
line. If the stripes in the pattern are not too far
apart, this match of stripes at the gorge line can
usually be accomplished by a slight movement of
the topcollar fabric downwards.

THE COLLAR DRAFT

If you have made extensive pattern altera- With the jacket folded flat on the table, and
tions involving the jacket neckline, it may be the neckline in full view, draw a chalklme indica-
necessary to draft a new collar pattern, using the ting the neckline seam allowance, from coUar
jacket neck edge as guide. notch to collar notch.

56

ta-'
 Place a folded piece of paper inside the line indicating the extension of the roll line into
jacket, large enough to reach just below the the neck area. It is important that thejacket not
lapel. be shifted at all once this guideline has been
On one side of thejacket place a ruler along noted.
the lapel roll line, and draw on the paper, a short

Trace around the lapel as far as the collar

notch. Be careful not to mark the fabric.

57
 Gently fold back the seam allowance at the
gorge line. Mark the collar notch, and the gorge
line.

Pinprick through the fabric and the paper,

along the neckline seam allowance from the roll
line to the shoulder seam. Continue a few inches
across the shoulder seam.

58
 Measure the back neck stitchline from
shoulder to center back. Use a ruler which you
can curve, or a tapemeasure standing on end, to
get an accurate measurement.

Remove the paper and open out so that it Extend the roll line and the shoulderline so
there is enough room to draft a collar. The that they intersect. Label the point of intersection
information on the paper should look something A.
like the markings in the illustration.

59
 B

A
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Measure up from A to a distance equal to Label E, the point at which the neckline
the back neck measurement. Label B. pinpricks meet the lapel. Draw a curved line,
E-F, following the pinpricks. Draw a straight line
from C to E, and a curved line from A to D.

y
•
•
•
•

•
•

Square out from collar notch, '/V (6 mm). Draw a curved line, F to G, parallel to line
Label C. Square out from the center back, 72* A-D.
(1.3 cm). Label D.

60
 On line F-G from which
find a point (H) Draw out from point C, a style line for the
you can square up through D and beyond. Label front of the collar (J).

a point (I) on the line about h" (3.8 cm) above

1
y
Draw a straight line from I to J, as a guide
point D. This measurement D-l is the width of for the top of the collar, and then curve the line

the collar at center back above the roll line. gracefully at the front.
The undercollar pattern, C-J-l-H-F-E-C,
is now complete.
The collar roll line is E-A-D.
Cut out the collar draft and check the fit on
the jacket.

The neck edge of your collar pattern, C-E-

F-H, is now complete.

61
THE SLEEVE

For a tailor, the fall of a well-set sleeve is a

thing of beauty. There is more involved here
than simply fitting the top edge of the sleeve
neatly into the jacket armhole.
• The armhole is reinforced to prevent
stretching.
• A muslin sleeve is prepared and set into
the jacket. It is set to fall either forward or

backward at the same angle the client's

arm is held at rest.
• Using the information gathered from the
muslin prototype, the garment fabric
sleeve is cut, prepared, lined, and set.
• The sleeve head is added to produce a
graceful draping of fabric out over the
shoulder.

REINFORCING THE ARMHOLES

Place the pocketing strip on the wrong side

of the jacket fabric, flush with the armhole cut-
ting edge. The curved end of the strip is placed at
the front armhole notch, about 2 h" (6.4 cm)
x

forward of the center of the underarm.

Before the sleeve is set, the armhole must
be reinforced with a strip of pocketing to ensure
against stretching. Cut a crossgrain strip of pock-
eting about W (1.9 cm) wide and 20" (50.8
cm) long. Press it into a curve (as illustrated).
Working from the right side of the jacket,
diagonally baste-stitch around the armhole,
catching the outer edge of the pocketing strip
underneath. Catch only the garment fabric and
the pocketing, avoiding the shoulder pad
completely.

162
 At a point about 1 V2" (3.8 cm) beyond the
shoulder seam, at the back of the jacket, back-
stitch on the tape and then begin basting tiny
ripples of ease into the jacket fabric. This process The ripples placed at the back of the arm-
continues to about 1
}
h" (3.8 cm) above the side hole have brought extra ease beyond, to the
panel seam, so that the rippled area is at shoulder-blade area. We can eliminate the rip-
shoulder-blade level on the jacket, and affords ples and still retain the ease by steam pressing
added ease for movement in this area. carefully.
The total amount of ease should not be Steam press the rippled area, on the wrong
more than 3 /s" (1 cm). On gabardines, or other side of the fabric, on a flat surface. Be careful to
tightly woven fabrics, the ease amount should allow the iron to extend in from the armhole
be closer to l
(6 mm). The ease is basted into
k" edge no more than about V2" (3.8 cm) or so. A
1

the pocketing strip and tacked, top and bottom,
so that it will stay where you have placed
Continue basting the pocketing strip down
moderate amount of steam, applied flat and on
it.
top of the ripples, should shrink them away.
you were to press further in on the fabric,
If

to about mid-underarm. The area from about while still on a flat surface, you would shrink
mid-underarm forward about 2 72" (6.4 cm) is away the ease which the ripples represent, and
not reinforced, so that there will be no restriction render the entire process useless.
of the forward movement of the arm. Keep the iron out and at the edge of the
armhole for now.
If you have trouble getting the ripples to
disappear, you have probably placed too much
ease in the area, and are dealing with a tightly
woven fabric. If necessary, remove the pocketing
strip and adjust the amount of ease. Do take care
of the problem before continuing. Once the
sleeve is sewn in, the ripples will be a permanent
distraction.

Baste around the armhole from the outside

of the jacket a second time, this time catching the
inner edge of the pocketing.

63
THE MUSLIN SLEEVE

You'll notice we haven't cut the sleeve yet.

We haven't even cut a muslin sleeve. We've
been waiting until the shoulder pads are placed
in the jacket, and the armholes are reinforced, in

order to get an accurate measurement of the

jacket armholes. Once we have this measure-
ment, we
can cut a muslin sleeve with the right
amount of ease all around.
On the right side of the jacket, measure
around the armhole cutting edge. It is somewhat
difficult to measure a curved area, therefore, do it

carefully, and double check your measurement.

Compare this measurement with that of the (5.7 cm) larger than the cutting edge around the
cutting edge around the top of your sleeve pat- jacket armhole. (For gabardines and other tightly
tern. Measure both the undersleeve and the woven fabrics, the measurement should not be
topsleeve, being careful not to include your side more than 2" (5 cm).) This amount of ease is

seam allowances in this measurement. necessary to allow the sleeve to fall gracefully
The cutting edge around the top of the from the shoulder.
sleeve pattern should measure 2" (5 cm) to 2'
A"

64
 If the top edge of your sleeve pattern is not
at least 2" (5 cm) larger than your armhole
measurement, adjust the sleeve pattern by add-
ing to or subtracting from the top edge of the
topsleeve, tapering to nothing at the side seam
allowances. The undersleeve is not adjusted.
The maximum adjustment possible at the top of
the topsleeve, before distorting the cap shape, is

3 cm).
/s" (1

If further adjustment of the sleeve cap is If this adjustment should still prove insuffi-

necessary, it must now also involve the width of cient, the answer is an entirely new sleeve pat-
both the topsleeve and undersleeve in order to tern, one size larger or smaller.
maintain the overall balance. Again, an adjust-
ment of 3
/s" (1 cm) is the maximum suggested.
Adjust the pattern according to the illustra-

tions, using a hip curve to taper your new lines

gracefully.

Check the sleeve length, measuring down

the center of the topsleeve, from stitchline to
hem fold. Using the sleeve measurement taken
on page 16 as a guide, lengthen or shorten the
sleeve by cutting the sleeve pattern at approxi-
mately elbow level. Separate or overlap the
topsleeve pattern to achieve the correct length;
and then blend the sides of the pattern using a
hip curve. The undersleeve pattern is adjusted by
the same amount as the topsleeve.

65
 1

With the sleeve pattern adjusted, cut the

muslin sleeve, sew the undersleeve and
topsleeve together, and press the seams open.
On the right side of the fabric, press a
crease in the topsleeve seam from the hem to
about elbow level.

Use a ]
cm) seam allowance to set
h" (1.3 The point at which the back seam in the
the sleeve, even if your pattern indicates 5 /s" sleeve falls on the armholes, is called the back
(1.6 mm). Since we have already checked the notch. In order to determine this point, hold the
armhole fit and the cap ease, this adjustment can and allow it to fall forward until
sleeve at the top,
be made without concern. It is much easier to the hem touches the chalk guideline on the
work with a 72" (1.3 cm) seam than with a pocket. This chalkmark indicates how far for-
larger amount in a curved area. The bulk in the ward your arm falls when held naturally. The
seam is reduced and the cap ease has more sleeve must hang in that same position to be
room to comfortably settle in. without creases when it is worn. Tack the back
It is best to use a model form to set the notch into the armhole at the point which allows
sleeve. With a model form, the entire armhole is the sleeve to fall forward to the chalk guideline.
in view,and the matching curves at the bottom
front of the armhole and sleeve are clearly visi-
ble. This area is called the front notch, whether it
is notched or not, and it is the first point at which

the sleeve and armhole are tacked for a fitting.

66
 The sleeve length is to some degree a mat-
ter of preference. Comfort when wearing the
jacket should be your main criterion. The most
common gauge is for the sleeve to end just
below wrist bone. Adjust the muslin sleeve
length, and pin in place.
With all the pattern corrections made, the
garment fabric sleeve can finally be cut with
confidence.
Machine-stitch and press open the under-
seam. On the right side of the fabric, chalkmark
the hem and vent foldlines. The foldline on the
topvent is a continuation of the sleeve seamline.
3
On the undervent, the foldline is /s" ( 1 cm) from

With the and back notches tentatively

front the edge.

tacked, baste around the armhole, distributing

the 2" -2' A" (5-5.7 cm) ease around the entire
reinforced area of the armhole. Only the 2 h" ]

(6.4 cm) area from center underarm forward is

without ease in the sleeve. There may be some
puckering at the cap of the muslin sleeve. How-
ever, if you have measured your armhole cor-
rectly, these puckers will be easy to control in the
garment fabric.
Check the sleeve side view. If there are
diagonal creases from the front or back of the
sleeve pointing upwards, the sleeve should be
set so that it falls a bit more forward or back, until
the creases disappear. When the sleeve falls

comfortably without these creases, chalkmark

the front and back notches on the jacket, and
the front notch on the sleeve. These notches
should also be transferred to your pattern. (For
plaid sleeves see page 177.)

67
THE SLEEVE VENTS
Cut a bias piece of pocketing to be used as
reinforcement, 5" (12.7 cm) wide and long
enough to extend from vent edge to vent edge
at the bottom of the sleeve. Stream press the
pocketing into a slight curve so that it will
comfortably at the bottom of the sleeve, on the
wrong side of the garment fabric.
Baste along the chalklines at the bottom of
the sleeve, catching the pocketing reinforce-
ment, and diagonally baste-stitch across the top
of the reinforcement.
68
Trim the sides of the pocketing very close to
the basting on the undersleeve vent, and about
l
h" (1.3 cm) from the basting on the topvent.
Diagonal-stitch the reinforcement into the sleeve
lie seam allowance, above the hem.
Fold and press, first the vents, and then the
hem, using the basting lines as guides. Fold the
bottom of the topvent into a miter, and press
well. Unless the fabric is extremely bulky, we
suggest that you do not trim the excess fabric in
the corner. The fold will give a certain amount of
appropriate body to the topvent. It will also
afford you the option of lengthening the sleeve,
should this be desirable sometime in the future.
Diagonal-stitch the vents and hem into the
pocketing, using silk finishing thread, and slip-
stitch the sides.
 With the topvent about 1/16" (1.5 mm) ease in the top third of the topsleeve seam, and

longer than the undervent, baste first the vent, steam press the puckers out, before machine-
and then the sleeve seam closed. The topsleeve stitching the seam. Press on a flat surface, mak-
seam should be about W (
1 cm) longer than
the undersleeve. (For gabardine, or other tightly
ing sure that the iron extends onto the fabric no
more than about l2
n
1 (3.8 cm).
]

woven fabrics, '/V' (6 mm) is better.) Place this

Machine-stitch the topseam to '/V (6 mm) Back-stitch the tops of the vent together
below the top of the vent, and press the seam using silk finishing thread. The sleeve is now
open. Fold and press the seam allowance on a ready to be lined.
diagonal just above the top of the vent, instead
of clipping the seam allowance here and weak-
ening the area.

69
SLEEVES WITHOUT VENTS

\f your sleeve does not have a vent, the

bottom of the sleeve is reinforced with a bias
strip of pocketing which is caught in the sleeve

seam, as illustrated.

LINING THE SLEEVE

The sleeve lining is cut using the sleeve

pattern. Trace around the sleeve pattern, cutting
the lining larger than the sleeve by the amounts
indicated. Note that the vent on the topsleeve is
eliminated.

70
 " "

Machine-stitch the lining topsleeve and un- nally baste one layer of lining seam allowance to
dersleeve together, and press the seams open. one layer of sleeve seam allowance. Baste tojust
With both the lining and sleeve inside out, above the top of the vent. Trim the lining to 1

place the two together, undersleeve to under- (2.5 cm) below the sleeve hem fold.
sleeve. A W
cm) margin of lining should be
( 1 .9

visible above the sleeve. Beginning about 4" seam.

Repeat the process at the undersleeve

(10.2 cm) from the top of the top seam, diago-

Reach into the lining, and turn the sleeve to The top layer of lining is now slashed hor-
the lining side, so that you can work on the izontally,about 'A?" (1.3 cm) below the bottom
lining hem and vent. Fold and baste the lining of the lining seam. The slash extends across, just
along the edge of the undervent (the undervent past the edge of the undervent. This frees the
on top when viewed from this side); and fold lining to be folded along the garment fabric at
W
is

the lining hem about (1.9 cm) above the the edge of the topvent.
hem of the sleeve. Baste the lining hem about 1

(2.5 cm) above its fold, so that you will be able to

lift it up for hand-stitching, shortly.

71
 The lining is on the diagonal at the
folded
top of the vent and basted in place. The sides
and top of the vent lining are finished with a
hand back-stitch, using silk thread.

Turn the sleeve to the right side, and with

the lining settled in place, baste across the
topsleeve about 8" (20.3 cm) or so from the top,
catching the topsleeve lining. This will hold the
lining in place while you set the sleeve. Press the
sleeve on the right side, on a flat surface, using a
presscloth. Press a light crease in the topseam
from elbow to hem.

Lift the lining at the hem, and hem-stitch

one layer of lining into the garment fabric hem.

12
 SETTING THE SLEEVE

)
\
The garment fabric sleeve is set into the
jacket just as the muslin sleeve was set. This time,
however, you have the benefit of the front and
back notches as guides.
Baste the sleeve using a straight running-
stitch about 'A" (6 mm) long, with spaces of
about the same length in between. If your
stitches are too small, the ease will have no room
to settle in. Do not be discouraged if it takes two
or three attempts to baste the sleeve in so that it

hangs without rippling at the cap when viewed

from the outside.
Once you are pleased with the hang of the
sleeve, baste around the armhole a second time,
stitching between the first stitches. This lock-
stitch is done to hold the ease securely in place,
and to prevent the possibility of the sleeve shift-
ing during machine-stitching.

There is one more step to take before

machine-stitching the sleeve. On the wrong side
of the fabric, steam press on a flat surface, and
shrink away the ripples at the top of the sleeve
seam allowance. Be careful to press in from the
armhole edge no more than one inch or so. If
you steam press further, you will be shrinking the
ease in the sleeve cap which you have so care-
fully created. You need the ease. Shrink away
only the ripples.
Tuck the shoulder pad out of the way and
machine-stitch around the armhole, catching
only the garment fabric of the sleeve and arm-
hole, and the pocketing reinforcement strip.

173
TACKING THE ARMHOLES

The sleeve is set, but the shoulder and around the armhole towards the sleeve seam.
armhole area needs some attention. The
still Baste from the front notch up and over the
jacket lining is loose at the back armhole, and the shoulder, to the end of the shoulder pad. As you
shoulder pad needs to be tacked into the arm- baste from the front notch to the beginning of
hole seam allowance. With this completed, the shoulder pad, catch the lining. As you con-
you'll be able to attach the sleeve head, and tinue up and over the shoulder, catch one layer
close the sleeve lining. of the shoulder pad.
With one hand inside the jacket, giving
shape to the shoulder area, smooth the fabric

On the inside of thejacket back, the lining
still loose at the armhole. Baste from the under-
arm up the back of the armhole, as far as the
lining shoulder seam. Use a large back-stitch,
and place a bit of ease in the back lining as you
baste.
is Shoulder pad, jacket lining, pocketing,
sleeve, and jacket, all meet in the armhole seam
allowance. Baste around the armhole, tacking all
these layers together, so that the shoulder seam
becomes a firm unshifting line. Tack first, the area
of seam allowance untouched by the shoulder
pad. The stitch is a diagonal-stitch, 7s" (3 mm)
beyond the machine stitchline, in the seam
allowance.

74
 you are working with thejacket inside
Since
out, be aware that the shoulder pad is now
curving in a direction opposite to that which it

will take when worn. Before you

thejacket is

baste the shoulder pad into the armhole seam

allowance, force the shoulder pad into the cor-
rect curve. Experiment, by turning the jacket
right side out, in order to be sure of the proper
direction of the curve. It is not necessary to baste
through the entire shoulder pad. One layer of
the padding caught in the seam allowance is
sufficient.

If necessary, the shoulder pad and lining are

now trimmed flush with the garment fabric seam
allowance. Be careful not to trim away the small
edge of seam allowance from the side panel
back seam. If you do, you eliminate the possibil-
ity of ever letting thejacket out in this area.

75
THE SLEEVE HEAD

The sleeve head is a strip of cotton wad- seam allowance using silk thread. Place the edge
ding, covered with muslin and with a strip of of the head even with the edge of the seam
bias canvas interfacing. Itsjob is to fill out the cap allowance, from the front notch, over the shoul-
of the sleeve a bit, and to create a graceful fall of der and down to about 2" (5 cm) below the
the fabric at the top of the sleeve. back notch.
The head is inserted into the sleeve with the
canvas facing up, and hand-stitched into the

The sleeve lining is now brought up to be

basted along the armhole edge, just covering the
basting already there. Fold back about '/V
(6 mm) at the top of the lining and check that the
seams in the lining are aligned with the seams in
the sleeve. A twisted lining will distort the hang
of the sleeve, and will be very uncomfortable to
wear. Slip-stitch the sleeve lining into the arm-
hole seam allowance using silk finishing thread.

176
THE PLAID SLEEVE

Ifyou are working with a plaid fabric, the

sleeve must be cut so that the horizontal design
lines on the sleeve match those across the jacket
front. (Because of the ease in the sleeve cap, the
horizontal lines on the match
sleeve will not
those on the jacket back.)
With the muslin sleeve well set, draw two
or three horizontal guidelines on the front of the
muslin to indicate the placement of the horizon-
tal bars of the plaid design. Transfer these guide-
lines to the front of your sleeve front paper
pattern, and use them as a layout guide.

BUTTONS AND BUTTONHOLES

The choice of buttons for a fine tailored

jacket should be in keeping with the high quality
of the rest of the garment.
horn or bone buttons, close in color to
Dull
the jacket fabric, are most traditional. Shiny plas-
tic buttons are glaringly inappropriate on fine
fabric.

The jacket button is 30-line, the sleeve but-

ton is 24-line.
The top buttonhole on ajacket which has a
lapel,should be placed about 5 /s" (1.6 cm) be-
low the bottom of the lapel roll line. If the button
is placed lower or higher, the lapel will begin to
roll just above whatever point that happens to
be.

177
 The buttonhole begins in from the edge of
the finished jacket a distance equal to one half
the diameter of the button, plus 'A" (6 mm).
The size of the jacket buttonhole is equal to
the diameter of the button, plus a "small" 'A'
(6 mm).
If you choose to add a lapel buttonhole, it

should be cut parallel to the top of the lapel. The

buttonhole on a peak lapel will, therefore, slant
upward. On a square lapel it will slant down-
ward.

For a flat button, the size of the jacket

buttonhole is equal to the diameter of the but-
ton, plus a "small" 'A" (6 mm). If your button is
not flat, the length of the buttonhole should
equal one-half the circumference of the button.

On the sleeve, real buttonholes are a dis-

tinctlycustom touch. The buttonholes begin

1'A" (3.2 cm) above the hem fold, and h" (1.3 ]

cm) away from the fold at the edge of the

topvent. If three buttons are used on the sleeve, The length of the buttonhole is between
3
the buttonholes are placed 3
A" (1 .9 cm) apart. If A"
(1.9 cm) and 1" (2.5 cm) depending on the
four buttons are preferred, the buttonholes are width of the lapel, and since it will not actually
5
placed /s" (1.6 cm) apart, so that the buttons be used for a button, there is no keyhole cut at
be almost touching.
will the end.
The size of the sleeve buttonhole is equal to The buttonhole is placed about 1 'A?" (3.8
one half the diameter of the button, plus l&" ]
cm) below the top of the lapel and V2" ( 1 .3 cm)
(3 mm). in from the edge.
Handworked buttonholes, reinforced with On the wrong side of the lapel, about 1

gimp, or bound buttonholes, are a custom touch (2.5 cm) below the buttonhole, a thread loop is

in tailoring. Machine buttonholes work as well, sewn. This serves to hold the stem of a small
but are not nearly as beautiful. flower boutonniere.

78
CONSTRUCTING THE BUTTONHOLES
A

The Handworked Buttonhole

Snip buttonhole through the jacket
the Insert a threaded needle, eye first, under the
front, the canvas, and the facing. At the end of jacket fabric and the canvas, and have it exit
the buttonhole closest to the jacket edge, cut a about '/i6
ff
(1.5 mm) before the end of the
small keyhole. buttonhole.
Trim away the canvas around the very Peel away about 1 '/2
ff
(3.8 cm) of the outer
edge of the buttonhole, so that stray white layer at the end of the gimp, so that the end is
canvas threads do not find their way into the thinner than the rest; and insert the peeled end
buttonhole stitches. of the gimp into the thread loop.
Using silk finishing thread, blanket-stitch You needn't cut a small piece of gimp for
around the buttonhole to control the fraying the buttonhole. Use the end of the entire yard or
threads. These stitches will not be seen in the so you have purchased, and cut the gimp only
finished buttonhole. after the buttonhole is complete.

Pull the sharp end of the needle, and the

thread ends, and draw the gimp through the
Anchored in this position, the gimp will lie
fabric.

on top of the buttonhole, right at the edge,

while the buttonhole is stitched. Do not allow
the gimp to fall into the slit in the fabric, as this
will produce a wider opening than you want.
Cut one yard of silk buttonhole twist, wax it

well,and press the twist between two sheets of

paper.The heat will melt the wax into the thread
and give added body.
it

79
 II

The buttonhole twist is used as a single When you have stitched around the entire
thread, knotted at the bottom. buttonhole, cut the gimp and bring the end
Hold the jacket so that the keyhole in the under the canvas and out, as you did before,
buttonhole is at the top, and take the first stitch at using the threaded needle.
the base of the buttonhole. Hide the knot be- Bartack at the base of the buttonhole and
tween the layers of fabric. secure the stitch on the inside.
For each stitch, end of the
bring the double The ends gimp are pulled until a
of the
thread in a clockwise movement, across the ripple appears in between the button-
the fabric
bottom of the buttonhole and up under the hole and the gimp. If you snip the gimp close to
needle. the fabric, the ends will disappear under the
canvas.
Whip-stitch the buttonhole closed until
after the final pressing.

Place the knot, which this movement pro-

duces, right on top of the gimp with a firm pull of
the thread.
around the buttonhole, encircling the
Stitch
gimp with thread. The stitches should be about
'/s" (3 mm) deep and quite close to one another,

but not necessarily touching.

At the keyhole, the stitches should fan out,
the outer ends of the stitches being a bit farther
apart than the inner ends.

80
The Bound Keyhole Buttonhole

^ <D)

Working from the canvas side, slash

Draw the buttonhole placement line on the through the center of the buttonhole. Cut out
jacket canvas using the same dimensions for the keyhole, but be careful of cutting too close to
lengthand for placement as were used for the the stitches. Cut a prong at the straight end of
handworked buttonhole. the buttonhole.

3 ^O:-

Draw a line /&" (3 mm) above and 7s"

]
Trim the canvas in the buttonhole, but
(3 mm) below the placement line, and round off leave the canvas in the prong.
the end of the line closest to the jacket front
edge.

Whip-stitch a piece of gimp around the

inside of the buttonhole stitchline. You may use
basting thread, if you like, since these stitches
will not be seen in the finished buttonhole.
Cut a bias patch of garment fabric 2" (5
cm)
wide and 2" (5 cm) longer than the buttonhole
placement line.

6-
\

Bring the bias patch through the button-

hole to the wrong side of the jacket.

On the right side of the jacket front, center

and baste the bias patch over the buttonhole
markings.

On the right side, prick-stitch around the

Working from the canvas side, and using a buttonhole using silk finishing thread. The
small machine stitch, sew around the buttonhole stitches are taken just beyond the gimp on the
top, keyhole and bottom. Do not sew across the jacket front, and should be small enough to be
straight end of the buttonhole. barely visible.

8
 > <
Working from the right side, slash through
the center of the buttonhole, snipping the facing
fabric.

Trim the bias patch, and press the button- On the wrong side extend the slash, and
hole on the wrong side. cut prongs at either end of the buttonhole.

o
Place the jacket facing over the buttonhole, Fold under, and baste the facing around the
and baste around the buttonhole. edge of the buttonhole. Prick-stitch along the
folded edge, using silk-finishing thread.

The Bias Bound Buttonhole

If

Cut a bias patch of garment fabric 2" (5 cm)

wide and 2" (5 cm) longer than the buttonhole
placement line.

Draw the buttonhole placementline on the

jacket canvas, using the same dimensions for
lengthand for placement as were used for the
handworked buttonhole.
Draw a line '/s" (3 mm) above and ]
l&" (3 Press a bias strip of very thin fusible to the
mm) below the placement line. center of the patch.

82
 Press the seam open along the top and
bottom of the buttonhole.

On the right side of the jacket front, center

and baste the bias patch over the buttonhole
marking.

I
Bring the bias patch through the button-
hole to the wrong side of the jacket.

II

Working from the canvas side, and using a

smallmachine stitch, sew a rectangle completely
around the buttonhole placement line.
Working from the right side of the jacket,
and using silk finishing thread, stitch on the
buttonhole seamline top and bottom. The piping
should be evenly distributed at top and bottom.

From the canvas side, slash through the At either end of the buttonhole, tack the
center of the buttonhole and cut prongs at either prong into the bias patch.
end. The facing side of the buttonhole is com-
pleted following instructions on page 182.

183
SETTING THE BUTTONS

\,

To mark the button placement on a single- The placement of the buttons on the right
breasted jacket, place the two fronts of thejacket side of the jacket is determined by measuring

together, right sides touching. from the keyhole to the center front line, and
Place a pin through the keyhole of the applying this measurement from the center front
buttonhole to mark the button placement on the line away from thejacket edge.
left side of thejacket. With thejacket closed, and the center front
Marking the button placement for a double- guidelines matching, place a pin through the top
breasted jacket is somewhat more complicated, button mark on the right side of thejacket. This
since there are both buttons and buttonholes on pin will indicate the placement of the one but-
both sides of thejacket. tonhole which is needed on the left side of the
The buttonholes are placed on the right jacket. It also indicates the placement of the one
side of a double-breasted jacket using the same button which must be placed on the inside of
measurements as were used for the single- the right side of thejacket.
breasted jacket.

84
 After the final pressing of the jacket, the layers of the fabric, and therefore, do not show
buttons are sewn to the jacket using a double through the facing. The needle is brought
strand of waxed, pressed, silk buttonhole twist through each hole in the button twice, anchor-
thread. ing each side of the button with four strands of
Most double their thread by placing
tailors thread. A 'A" (6 mm) shank is created by hold-
two strands through the eye of the needle (as ing the button away from the jacket as you
illustrated)— a challenge, indeed. This allows the stitch.

needle to move to different points along the The stitches completed, the thread is
length of the thread as you sew, thus reducing wound around the shank several times. Four
the probability of the thread being weakened, by knots are then stitched at the base of the shank,
being pulled by the needle, over and over again, catching the thread which comes from each of
at the same spot. the four holes in the button. A button secured to
The stitches taken on the front of the jacket the jacket in this way is not likely to be lost
to attach the button, do not go through all the without warning.

85
FINAL PRESSING
Following the pressing techniques outlined
on page 8, is now carefully and com-
the jacket
pletely pressed.The pressing is done before the
buttons have been sewn on, to permit the iron
greater access. The pressing proceeds step by
step, as follows:

1. The underside of one lapel, the underside

of the collar, and the underside of the sec-
ond lapel.

On the Inside of the Jacket

2. The facing, from the bottom of the lapel to 4. Across the hem on the lining side, from one
the hem on one and the
side of the jacket; side of thejacket to the other.
liningbelow the waist, first on one side of
thejacket, and then on the other. Be careful On the Outside of the Jacket
to use a tailor's ham to press shaped areas 5. Each front of the jacket from shoulder to
of thejacket. hem, and the side seam.
3. The lining in the chest area on both sides of 6. Thejacket back from shoulder to hem.
thejacket.

Sleeves
7. On the right side of the fabric, the front
seam, and the undersleeve.

8. With the sleeve board inside thejacket, the 11. The right side of each lapel.

topsleeve, from biceps to hem, creasing the

sleeve lightly from elbow to hem.
9. The lining underarm area.

12. With the lapel and collar lying flat over the
10. Holding a press mitt inside the shoulder of pressing board, press the gorge line, and a
thejacket, press each shoulder and sleeve light crease at the neck edge of the gorge

cap on the right side of the fabric. line.

86
THE UNLINED JACKET
The lining in a tailored jacket serves to • The facing is extended to conceal the
conceal the construction details on the inside of canvas.
the jacket; layers of canvas, pocketing, and cot- • The shoulder pads are covered by a lin-

ton wadding. There are, however, some unlined ing yoke at the back, and by the ex-

versions of the tailored jacket that have been tended facing in the front.
designed especially for tropical climates. The ver- Even when the rest of the jacket is unlined,

sion demonstrated here is most suitable for a the sleeves are lined for the wearer's comfort,
loose-fitting jacket with little dart shaping. and to control excessive wrinkling in the sleeve.
In the absence of a lining, the inner con- In presenting the construction of thisjacket,
struction details must be tidied up, or concealed we will assume that the reader is familiar with
by means other than a full lining. In the unlined the tailoring techniques demonstrated previously
jacket presented here: in the construction of the classic jacket.
• All darts and seam allowances are fin-
ished so that there are no raw edges of
fabric visible on the inside of the jacket.

• The inner construction details of the

jacket pockets are covered with garment
fabric patches.

DARTS IN THE UNLINED JACKET

In an unlined jacket, the darts are not

slashed open. They are pressed toward the side
seam, and are secured in place by a row of tiny
on the right side of the fabric.
prick stitches
seam allowances are also finished with
All

Hong Kong piping (see page 187).

87
POCKETS IN THE UNLINED JACKET

In an unlined jacket the most convenient

pocket to use is the patch pocket. The patch
pocket is simply tacked on to the front of the

jacket and does not involve construction that

would be visible, and therefore necessary to
hide, on the inside of the jacket.
Other pockets, however, can be adjusted
slightly to suit the unlined jacket. We'll demon-

strate these modifications in the double-piping

pocket.
With the darts and front seams sewn, draw
the pocket opening line on the jacket front, using
tailor's chalk and a hip curve ruler. The hip-level
pocket opening on a woman's jacket runs be-
tween 572" to 5 3 /4" (14 to 14.6 cm) in length.

T rr

Cut one piece of garment fabric as a patch Check the length of the patch by placing
for theback of each pocket, straight grain, h" 1
x
the top edge 3
fa" (1.9 cm) above your pocket

(3.8 cm) wider than your pocket opening and opening line. The bottom edge of the patch
about 7'/2* (19.1 cm) long. should extend no lower than the top of the hem,
This patch will be used on the inside of the when the hem is turned up.
jacket as a backing for the pocket. Trim the length of the patch, if necessary,
and round off the two corners closest to the side
seam of the jacket.

88
 -4 / \ * \ r\

Place the wider piece of piping face down

on the right side of the jacket front, nap up. The
top edge of the piping should be flush with the
pocket opening line. Baste very close to the
edge, catching the piping, the jacket, and the
pocketing patch.

Cut one piece of pocketing for each pocket,

straight grain,h" (1.3 cm) larger than the gar-
]

ment fabric patch all around.

Turn to page 84, and continue the con-

struction of the pocket following instructions
through to the bottom of page 85.
Press back a 'A" (6 mm) hem on the bot-
Cut two pieces of garment fabric, straight tom edge of the bottom piping, and machme-
grain, nap down, to be used as piping. Each topstitch the folded edge to the pocketing patch.
piece of piping is cut 2" (5 cm) longer than the
pocket opening. One piece is h" (3.8 cm)
1
]

wide, the other is 2" (5 cm) wide.

On the wrong side of the jacket, center the

garment fabric patch on top of the pocket. The
top edge of the garment fabric patch should be
at the top edge of the piping. Baste the patch in

place around the edges, catching all layers of the

pocket.
Place the pocketing patch on the wrong Catch only the pocket and not the jacket in
side of the jacket,
above the pocket opening
its top edge
line.
W (1.9 cm) these stitches. Trim the pocketing even with the
garment fabric patch.

89
 N.

Machine-stitch on the pocketing patch, as

close as possible to the jacket at the top of the
pocket opening. Stitch the length of the pocket
opening and pivot at either end to catch the
prong area.

Cut a bias strip of lining about " (2.5 cm)1

wide, and long enough to extend around three

sides of the pocket. This lining strip will be used
as a piping finish around the edge of the gar-
ment fabric patch on the wrong side of the
jacket.
Because the edge of the patch closest to the
front will eventually be covered by the jacket
facing, the piping is placed only along three
edges— unnecessary bulk being undesirable.
Using a '/V' (6 mm) seam, machine-stitch
the lining strip along the edge of the patch.

On the pocket edge which is closest to the

center front of the jacket, continue stitching out
from the prong and down the edge of the patch,
about V2" (1.3 cm) from the edge.

Bring the piping to the pocketing side of the

patch, and fold the raw edge under. Slip-stitch

along the folded edge of the piping, on the

pocketing side of the patch. Press the piping.
The pocket is complete.

90
THE FACING IN THE UNLINED JACKET

In an unlined jacket, the facing takes on the

added concealing the entire canvas. The
role of
facing is cut using the same dimensions as for the
canvas, however, the darts are eliminated in the
facing.
The facing in an unlined jacket is handled
essentially as it was in the lined jacket. The inner
edges of both canvas and facing are basted
together, and finished with a Hong Kong piping.

COVERING SHOULDER PADS IN THE

UNLINED JACKET

Since the jacket is unlined, the shoulder To create the yoke, fold a piece of lining,
pads will be covered by a double-layered lining maintaining the grainline as illustrated.
yoke, on either side of the jacket back. The front
of the shoulder pads will be covered by the
extended facing.

19
 Using the jacket back pattern as guide, cut
the lining larger than the pattern by the dimen-
Baste the second lining yoke on the jacket
sions indicated.
back, using the same placement dimensions as
the first.

Above the diagonal fold on each lining

yoke, place a second row of basting. These
stitches should remain at least 2" (5 cm) below
the jacket shoulder edge, and at least 4"
(10.2 cm) away from the armhole, to leave room
for the shoulder pad.

Cut two of these folded pieces, one for

each side of the jacket back.

Fold back the top layer of lining, and baste

the underlayer to the jacket along the shoulder
and armhole, about 1" (2.5 cm) from the edge.
Trim the underlayer of lining flush with the
jacket at the shoulder and armhole.

Place one on the jacket

of the lining yokes
back. The should be " (2.5 cm) above the
lining 1

jacket at the shoulder, and h" (1 .3 cm) beyond

]

the jacket at the side seam.

Baste the lining to the jacket along the
diagonal fold.

192
 The shoulder pad is attached to the jacket
following instructions beginning on page 140. In
an unlinedjacket, the back of the shoulder pad is
Machine-stitch the underlayer of lining to placed between the two layers of the lining
the jacket along the shoulder and armhole, yoke.
about 'A" (6 mm) from the edge. Your stitches
on the armhole should stop at least 2" (5 cm)
above the side seam stitchline.
Cut a h" (3.8 cm) deep slash into the
1
]

underlayer of lining, just below your stitches in

the armhole. This slash will eventually free the
which is below it from being caught
lining in the
armhole seam when the sleeve is set.

The sleeve is lined and attached to the

unlinedjacket as it was in the lined jacket (page
170).
The yoke above the slash is caught in
lining
the armhole seam. The facing and canvas, of
course, are not caught in the seam.

When the back side seams are sewn, the

lining is folded and basted to the seam allow-
ance. In the finished jacket, the lining is secured
here with a prick stitch.

After tacking the armhole (page 1 74), and

attaching the sleeve head (page 1 76), the sleeve
lining is brought up and attached along the
armhole. The folded edge of the lining yoke is
tacked along the side seam allowance.

93
THE PEPLUM JACKET
A peplum is a flounce, or short flared at-
tachment at the waist of a garment.
We have chosen to demonstrate a pattern
in which the peplum begins at the front princess

line, rather than at the center front. This style

provides for a continuous grainline down the
front of the jacket; places the straight of the grain
at the center back of the peplum to prevent
and places the bias of the
stretching from sitting;
peplum seam for best draping over
at the side
the hip. The shaping in the peplum is created by
darts at the side seam and at the back princess
line. This peplum jacket will also include;

• Full canvas interlining

• Peplum reinforcement
• Mandarin collar

If you would like to create this pattern from

one in which the peplum extends to center front,
simply;
• Extend your jacket front pattern piece • Cut from the peplum pattern piece, cen-
from waist to hem at center front. ter front, an amount equal to this width.
• Measure the width of the extension, ex- • Place the center back seamline on the
cluding seam allowances. fold, straight grain, and cut the peplum.

94
THE FULL CANVAS INTERLINING

A full canvas interlining is often used to facing is not used in the sleeve. The same
provide uniform body in jackets that are very grainline is followed for jacket and canvas. Trans-
form fitting. For this purpose a lightweight can- fer all pattern markings onto the canvas.
vas is used, made of wool, cotton, and hair. Full Baste each and canvas piece to-
fabric
canvas interlining is also used in coats and heavy gether, beginning at the top,and smoothing the
warmth. If warmth is
jackets to provide extra fabric gently downwards. The basting should be
your aim, use average-weight canvas interfac- about '/V (6 mm) inside the seam allowance,
ing. and above the hem.
Using the major pattern pieces for front and Trim the excess canvas at the edge of the
back of the jacket, cut the canvas 3 /s" cm) ( 1 fabric.

larger than the pattern all around. Canvas inter-

95
THE PEPLUM

Baste down the center of each peplum dart,

in order to control the two layers of fabric while
the darts are being sewn.
On the wrong side of the fabric, press a
crease along the basted center line of each dart.
Machine-stitch the dart, tapering gracefully
at the bottom.

Slash the dart open along the center basted Trim about half of the canvas peplum hem.
line, and trim the canvas very close to the stitch-
line.

Press the darts open.

96
THE PEPLUM REINFORCEMENT

Using the peplum pattern as guide, cut a Draw three darts on the peplum canvas
piece of canvas V2" (1 cm) above the pattern
.3 reinforcement; one at the center back, and one
hem foldline, 1" (2.5 cm) shorter than the pat- at the center of each side. The side darts on the
tern at the sides, and even with the pattern at peplum reinforcement should fall between the
the top. This will serve as a canvas reinforcement darts on the peplum pattern. Draw the darts 3 W
for the peplum. (1.9 cm) wide and 3" (7.6 cm) long.

Cut the darts out. Cut the darts out.

Using the peplum reinforcement as a guide

cut a second reinforcement, on the bias this time,
2V2" (6.4 cm) smaller than the first at the bottom
and the and even at the top.
sides,
Draw two W
(1.9 cm) darts on this
second canvas reinforcement, evenly placed The darts on both the canvas reinforce-
between the existing darts. The darts are 3" ments are closed by butting the edges together
(7.6 cm) long. and zigzag stitching across.

97
 Baste the two reinforcement pieces to- Pad-stitch the second reinforcement to the
gether along the edge of reinforcement #2. first.

ASSEMBLING THE PEPLUM JACKET

baste peplum to jacket matching seams

After themain pieces of thejacket front and

back have been basted together and machine-
stitched, the peplum is stitched to the jacket
along the waistline. The darts on the peplum are
aligned with thejacket side seam, and the back
princess line, respectively.

98
 The waistline seam is pressed open.

The peplum side seams are then sewn and

pressed open.

99
 The peplum reinforcement is now placed
on the wrong side of the peplum, the top edge
under the peplum waist seam allowance. The
reinforcement is secured in place as illustrated.

The waistline is further secured by basting

V2" (1.3 cm) cotton twill tape over the seam,
and slip-stitching it in place.

J j
Two h" ]

(1.3 cm) wide strips of lining are Secure a small hook to the end of one of the
prepared, straight grain, long enough to extend strips, and three eyes, at intervals, on the other
from the side front seamline to at least 1
strip.

(2.5 cm) beyond the center front.

Secure the end of each strip of lining to the
tape and seam allowance at the waistline, side
front seam.

200
THE PEPLUM JACKET LINING

The peplum jacket lining is cut larger than

the jacket pattern pieces, as illustrated. Machine-
stitch seams, and press open
all all but the waist-
line seam.

20
 Place the lining and jacket together, wrong Although the lining is slightly larger than
side to wrong side, and diagonal-stitch the lining the jacket, the seamlines of jacket and lining
waistline seam allowance into the twill tape should match.
which reinforces the jacket waistline.

Baste the lining to the jacket as illustrated

202
THE MANDARIN COLLAR

A precise fit is essential to the beauty of the

mandarin collar. It would be wise, and very
simple to draft your own neck
collar using the
measurements of your jacket.
With your jacket folded so that the neck
area lies flat, measure from center back seam to
shoulder seam (A-B) and from the shoulder
seam to the collar notch (B-C).

i.:»

Draw a straight line A-B-C using the neck-

line measurements. Square a line up from A
1W (4.5 cm), and label point D.
Square a
label point E.
line up from B 1 W (4.5 cm), and

Square a
label point F.
line up from C W (1 .9 cm), and

203
 Draw a curved line from B to F. Square up
from Fto G, 1 W (4.5 cm).

S IW

Draw line G-E parallel to line F-B and

round off the corner at G. Connect E-D with a
straight line.
The pattern is complete.

French canvas
o

Using your collar pattern, draw two collars Cut one collar from French canvas— no
on the wrong side of your garment fabric, additional seam allowance is necessary here.
we have
straight grain. Since the collar pattern
created includes seam allowance only at the
neck edge, draw a 3 /s" (1 cm) seam allowance
along the top and front edge of both collars.

204
CONSTRUCTING THE MANDARIN COLLAR

Baste the French canvas to the wrong side

of the undercollar, leaving 'A" (6 mm) garment
fabric above the canvas.

Machine-stitch the canvas in place.

Baste the undercollar and topcollar to-

gether, placing a small amount of ease at the
center front topcollar.

Machine-stitch the topcollar and undercol-

lar together, stitching just beyond the edge of
the canvas.
Trim both seam allowances close to the
stitchline.

Turn the collar to the right side and baste

along the top and sides, bringing the seamline to
the undercollar side. Press.

205
ATTACHING THE MANDARIN COLLAR

Begin basting the collar to the jacket at the

center back seam, and work forward on one
side.

Rather than press the neckline seam open

(which might cause stretching), we now baste
the seam open. The two rows of basting are
stitched from the right side of the fabric, while
the seam allowance is held open from under-
neath.

Place a slight amount of ease in the topcol-

lar at the shoulder seam.
Begin basting the second side of the under-
collar to the jacket at the front notch, working
back toward the center back.
Machine-stitch the topcollar to the jacket
using a 3
/s" (1 cm) seam.

The undercollar is now brought down over

the opened seam. Working from the right side of
the fabric, using silk finishing thread, tiny back-
stitches are taken in the neckline seamlme. The
undercollar fabric is caught in place on the other
side. These stitches should be in the seamline,
and completely imperceptible.

206
 The facing and lining are folded up over the Press carefully maintaining the shape.
raw edge of the undercollar, and basted in place.
Slip-stitch along the top edge of the facing
and lining.

THE PEPLUM JACKET SLEEVE

Because the full canvas extends into the After the sleeve has been set (page 173),
armhole seam allowance, front and back, there baste the shoulder pad in place, working from
is no need to reinforce the armhole area as the outside of the jacket. On the inside, the
previously shown (page 162). This extra layer of shoulder pad is cross-stitched into the canvas
canvas in the armhole seam also makes it advisa- shown.
interfacing as
ble to set the sleeve before attaching the shoul- The shoulder pad, the lining, and the can-
der pad. This reversal of procedure whenever a vas are then tacked into the armhole seam allow-
full canvas is used ensures better control of the ance following the instructions on page 1 74.
armhole.

207
7 Skirts
In this chapter we demonstrate three skirts

which include a variety of construction tech-

niques progressing from the simplest to the more
complex. We would suggest that your first proj-
ect be a basic straight skirt. Once you have
accomplished this, the variations in style and in
construction that we suggest should present no
more than a minor challenge.

1 . BASIC STRAIGHT SKIRT

• Curved double-piping pocket on front
• Side zipper closing
• Hong Kong piping hem finish
• Overlap vent at center back
• Waistband backed with grosgrain ribbon

front view back view

208
 Use your basic straight skirt pattern to cut
this skirt, but check the following.
If your pattern has no center back vent, or

one which appears in an "L" shape, as in the

figure on the left, adjust your pattern. The vent
will hang better if the fabric extends up to the

waist where it can be secured into the waistline

seam.
Adjust your pattern so that the vent allow-
ance extends out from the center back seam
1
'/2" (3.8 cm) at the waist, and 3' (8 cm) at W
the bottom of the skirt. The vent opening should
be equal in length to one half the length of the
skirt from waist to hem fold.

Measure the back and front skirt waist

seamline, excluding dartsand seam allowance.
Each half should be equal in measurement to
one half of your body waist measurement, plus
72" (1.3 cm). This total of 1" (2.5
cm) ease at the
waistline of a skirt which has neither shirring nor
open pleats, is necessary for a graceful fall of the
fabric directly below the waistband.
If your pattern does not include this ease,

add U" l

(6 mm) to the waist at the side seam of

the skirt back and front. Use a hip curve to taper
the l
mm) to nothing at the hipline.
/4* (6

Use the layout and cutting instructions in

Chapter 5 to cut the front and back of the skirt.
Do not cut the waistband at this time.

209
 t

On the wrong side of the fabric chalkmark:

• The darts
• The bottom of the zipper
• The vent extension from waist to bottom
of the skirt

• The top of the vent

• The hem foldline
On the wrong side of the fabric tailor tack:
• The bottom of the darts
• The bottom of the zipper
• The foldline from the top of the vent to
thehem l. v V v V V V W
• The hem foldline

Cut the skirt lining Vs" (3 mm) larger than

the skirt pattern at the waist and side seams, and
the same length as the skirt.

210

m»-
 Prepare the front and back waistline darts
as per instructions on page 77, and press the
darts toward the side seams.

Baste the center back seam from the waist Press the center back seam open, and then
to the bottom of the skirt. Machine-stitch the to the left side of the skirt.

center back seam from the waist to the top of the

vent, tacking well at the top of the vent. Leave
the basting stitches in the vent opening for the
moment.
Machine-stitch the center back seam of the
skirt lining in the same manner as the skirt back.

211
 Machine-stitch a diagonal, from the top of
the vent down, across the vent extension. Catch
only the two layers of the vent in this stitchline,
Press back 3 /s"
cm) along the edge of the
( 1 and not the outside of the fabric.
top layer of the vent, tapering to nothing just We'll leave the back of the skirt for the
above the top of the vent. moment and move on to the front pocket.

THE DOUBLE-PIPING SKIRT POCKET

The double-piping pocket may be designed

as a straight or a curved line, and placed accord-

ing to your preference on the skirt front or back.

212
 If the pocket opening is a straight line, the
piping is cut on the straight grain. If the pocket
opening is a curved line, the piping is cut on the
bias.
We have chosen a curved double-piping
pocket for the skirt front, placed at a comfortable
level just below the waistline. The end of the
curve should be kept at least 2" (5 cm) away
from the side seam, so that it will not interfere in

possible future alterations.

To create the pocket facing, draw the same

curve on a piece of garment fabric; extend the
line 172" (3.8 cm) at either end; and cut the
facing 2'/2" (6.4 cm) wide.

Press a "A" (6 mm) hem to the wrong side

of the facing along the outside curve. If you are

Using a French curve ruler, and tailors' working with a heavyweight fabric, it would be
chalk, draw the pocket opening line on your skirt better to overcast this outer edge instead of
front, about 6" (15.2 cm) in length. folding it in order to avoid bulk.

213
 X
From garment fabric, on the bias, cut two
strips of piping, 2" (5 cm) longer than the pocket
opening, and 1 'A" (3.2 cm) wide.
Press a 'A" (6 mm) hem to the wrong side
of one of the pieces of piping.

The piping which has the folded edge is

now basted just below the pocket opening, the
top edge of the piping flush with the chalkline.
The lining is caught in these basting stitches.

Cut two pieces of lining to be used as

pocketing, 9" (22.9 cm) wide and long enough
to extend from 3 /a" (1 cm) above the top of the
skirt, to 5" (12.7 cm) below the lowest point on
the pocket opening line.
The side of the pocketing is trimmed to the
curve of the skirt side seam. Place the second piece of piping along the
top edge of the pocket opening, and baste it in

place, catching the lining as before.

Place one piece of pocketing under the skirt

front so that it extends above the top of the skirt

3
by I&" (1 cm), and out beyond the lowest point
on the pocket opening line by 'A?" (3.8 cm).
1 Machine-stitch the piping to the skirt "A"
Placed in this manner, there will remain (6 mm) above and below the pocket opening
about h" (1.3 cm) distance between the skirt
]
line, tacking well at either end of the rows of
side seam stitchline and edge of the pocketing. stitching.

214
 Using the seam allowance as a guide, and
Working from the wrong side of the skirt,
ignoring the prongs for the moment, back-stitch
slash through the skirt and the pocketing fabric,
by hand in the piping seam, using silk finishing
down the center of the two rows of stitching.
thread. The piping must be kept even on top and
Hold the piping out of the way so that it is not
bottom, and the stitches should not be seen.
slashed inadvertently.

ing, cut
At W cm) from either end of the open-
( 1

prongs that extend directly to the last

The pocket is now steam-pressed on the
right side using a ham and covering the fabric
with a presscloth.
secure stitch in each row of stitching.

If your slash overshoots or undershoots this

last stitch, you have either a bulge or a hole

will

on the front of your skirt.

Whip-stitch the piping closed so that it will

not shift while we attend to the prongs.

Bring the piping to the wrong side, and

press open the seams.

Tuck each prong to the inside, and hold it

so that the end of the pocket is a straight line. By

hand back-stitch the prong to the piping.

215
 On the inside, machine-stitch the folded Now that the exact placement of the facing
edge of the bottom piping to the pocketing. has been determined, the second piece of pock-
eting is removed, so that the facing can be
machine-stitched to it. Top-stitch along the bot-
tom edge of the facing.

Place the facing right side down on top of

the piping, on the wrong side of the skirt. In this

illustration, the broken line indicates the pocket

opening line.

The two pocketing pieces are placed to-

gether again, edges matching. From the inside,
machine-stitch on the first pocketing piece, as
close as possible to thegarment fabric. Stitch the
length of the pocket opening, and pivot to catch
the prongs at either end.

Place the second piece of pocketing on top

of the first, matching the edges. Pin through the
second piece of pocketing and catch the facing.
The broken line in this illustration indicates the
position of the facing under the pocketing.

216
 Continue to stitch around the edge of the
pocketing, closing the inside of the pocket. Over-
cast the raw edge of the pocketing by hand or
machine.

-l

lining

With the skirt flat on the table, and working

from the right side of the fabric, baste the top
edge of the pocketing to the skirt at the waist.

Baste and then machine-stitch the side

seams of the skirt and the lining, separately. Tack
well at the bottom of the zipper area on both
skirt and lining. Press the seams open.

217
THE SKIRT ZIPPER CLOSING

Remove the basting stitches in the zipper Close the zipper and place the front fold
area and place the opened zipper along the fold '/s" (3 mm) back
o\/er the fold at the waist. This
at the skirt back. The metal zipper stop should be overlap tapers to nothing at the bottom of the
placed just below the bottom of the seam open- zipper.
ing. Only the zipper teeth should be visible along Baste the front of the skirt in place along the
the edge of the fold. front zipper tape. This basting should be done
Using size A silk thread, back-stitch the with the skirt lying flat. Slip a plastic ruler under
zipper to the fold, by hand, from the waist to just your zipper, so that your needle will hit the ruler
above the zipper stop. The stitches should be and not the fabric on the other side of the skirt as
small and evenly placed, close to the edge of the you baste.
fold.

From the and with

Bring the thread to the inside
right side of the fabric
zipper closed, by hand across the
backstitch
bottom of the zipper, just above the zipper stop.
Open the zipper, and continue back-
stitching along the zipper tape, up to the waist-
and tack the line. The stitches should be small, evenly placed,

stitches well at the bottom of the zipper. and equidistant from the fold.

218
THE HONG KONG PIPING

'Z&^z^&z^.
i-HEZE ''.'..:!':'''' .
•

We will add a 'A" (6 mm) piping, called a

/-/o/ig Kong piping, along the bottom edge of the
skirt, as a finish for the hem.

Beginning at the vent, and using a 'A"

(6 mm) seam, machine-stitch the piping to the
bottom edge of the skirt, right side to right side.
Pull the piping toward you very gently as
you sew. This will help prevent ripples of ease in
Cut a bias strip of lining, I " (2.5 cm) wide the finished piping. If you pull the piping too
and long enough to extend around the skirt much, however, the top of the hem will not lie

hem. flat.

I i

If your lining strip must be pieced, stitch the On a skirt without a vent opening, begin
pieces together following the grainline, and press sewing the piping at the side seam, with a fold in
the seam open. the piping, and end by sewing the end of the
piping flat on top of the fold.

219
 Bring the lining strip to the wrong side of
the skirt, folding it along the edge of the seam
allowance.
Working from the right side, back-stitch by
hand along the seam, catching the other end of
the piping underneath. The stitches should not
be visible. This stitch is done by hand rather than
by machine because the piping is cut on the bias,
and is difficult to control neatly by machine. If
you can manage a flat, unrippled piping by
machine, by all means do. The lining is Jarger than the skirt at the
waistline because we have cut the lining '/s"

(3 mm) larger than the skirt at the side seams,

and because we have not sewn darts in the
lining. Baste along the waistline, distributing the
ease in the lining evenly within each quarter, by
making small, flat pleats.

Press the piping, and press the hem up

along the hem foldline. Do not stitch the hem in
place yet.

Remove the basting stitches in the zipper

area of the lining, and baste the lining fold along
the zipper tape. Keep the lining a safe distance
With wrong sides touching pin the lining from the zipper teeth, to avoid the possibility of
and the skirt together at the waistline, matching being caught in the zipper mechanism. Back-
side seams, and center front and back. stitch the lining to the zipper tape.

220
THE OVERLAP VENT AT CENTER BACK

Baste the back and the lining back

skirt Beginning about I
" cm) below the top
(2.5
together along the center back seam, placing of the vent, slash the top layer of the vent lining
small ripples of ease in the lining, from the waist horizontally. Extend the slash to just past the
to the top of the vent. vent opening.
Fold and baste the lining along the edge of
the vent, '/s" (3 mm)
from the edge. Continue
down as far as the top of the hem.

Trim some of the lining vertically, leaving Fold the top of the vent lining underneath
only about J" (2.5 cm) to be folded back along on the diagonal, and baste in place.
the second side of the vent. Fold and baste the
lining along what we indicate as the right side of
the vent.

221
THE SKIRT HEM

The bottom edge of the skirt lining is now Turn the hem up, catching the lining in the
placed about " (2.5 cm) below the hem foldline
1
foldline. Press the hem foldline on the wrong
of the skirt, and stitched in place. Use silk finish- side.

ing thread and small diagonal stitches to attach

the lining to the hem. These stitches will not be
visible in the finished skirt since they will be on
the hem side.

Press the vent edge in place.

222
 N \

~> ") ">

) > 1

Baste the hem in h" (1.3 cm)

place about x

below the piping, and along the edge of the

vent.

Turn back the piping and hem-stitch, catch- Fold the excess lining down on top of the
ing the skirt fabric through the lining. The hem, and press the fold.

stitches should not be visible on the right side of Back-stitch along the edge of the lining, and
the fabric. slip-stitch the hem at the vent edge.

223
THE WAISTBAND BACKED WITH
GROSGRAIN

1 W ,
back front
HI 1 1 II 1
1
'IM
—
1
/fe^
IliilMTj^
.

This waistband is constructed of garment Place the grosgrain on top of the stiffening,
fabricon the outside, stiffening in the middle, with the top edge of the grosgrain Vs" (3 mm)
and grosgrain ribbon at the back. It is an ideal below the seam allowance line, and the end of
basic waistband, especially useful with heavier the grosgrain even with the end of the waist-
fabrics, since the grosgrain eliminates one layer band.
of the garment fabric. Machine-topstitch along the top edge of
Cut a strip of waistband stiffening equal in the grosgrain, attaching the grosgrain to both
length to the body waist measurement plus the waistband and the stiffening— stopping V2"
P/2" (3.8 cm). We suggest 1" (2.5 cm) wide (1 .3 cm) from either end of the stiffening.
stiffening, since it is less inclined to buckle.

Working from right to left, mark off one-half

the body waist measurement for the front of the
waistband, one-half the body waist measure-
ment for the back of the waistband, and a V2" 1

(3.8 cm) underlap extension.

Fold the garment fabric back over the stiff-

ening and press the fold in the waistband along

Cut a piece of garment fabric crossgrain, the top edge of the stiffening.
equal in length to the body waist measurement
plus 3" (7.6 cm). The width of the fabric is equal
to thewidth of the stiffening plus the waistline
seam allowance top and bottom.
f rfij

Lift the grosgrain and machine baste the

stiffening to the garment fabric waistband.

Cut a piece of grosgrain ribbon the same

width as the stiffening, and the same length as
the garment fabric waistband— 3" (7.6 cm)
longer than the body waist measurement.
Place the top edge of the stiffening under
the waistband so that it is even with the seam
allowance, and baste the stiffening in place stop-
ping 72" (1 .3 cm) from either end. There should Pin the waistband to the skirt with right

be 3
W (1.9 cm) extension of waistband fabric sides touching, matching side seams, and center
beyond either end of the stiffening. front and back.

224
 Press the waistline seam allowance up to-

ward the waistband.

Trim the corners of the folded garment
At the back of the skirt, the stiffening be- fabric.

neath the grosgrain extends fr" 1

]
(3.8 cm) be-
yond the zipper edge.

At either end of the waistband, fold and

press the ends of the fabric along the edge of the
stiffening.

At the front of the skirt, the stiffening be-

neath the grosgrain is flush with the zipper fold
edge.

Baste and then hand-backstitch the gros-

grain along the bottom edge of the waistband.

Baste the waistband to the skirt, distributing

the ease evenly within each quarter. (You will
recall that we have intentionally made the top
edge of the skirt 1" (2.5 cm) larger than the
waistband. See page 209.)
Using a ham, steam press the skirt waistline
to eliminate any ripples or puckers of ease.
Machine-stitch along the garment fabric
waistband, just beyond the edge of the stiffen-
ing. Attach a skirt hook and eye.

225
2. STRAIGHT SKIRT WITH SHIRRING:
• Crescent pockets
• Shirring at center front
• Kick pleat at center back
• Self-backed waistband

front view back view

This skirt can be adapted from a pattern for

a straight skirt that has neither pockets, nor
shirring nor kick pleat.
The shirring will be created by using the
fabric that would have been in the front darts, skirt front
and by adding fabric at the top of the side seams.
Add about W cm) to the top of the side
( 1 .9

seam on your pattern front. Using a hip curve

ruler, taper that

hip.
W
(1 .9 cm) to nothing at the
#

Since the back of your skirt will have no

shirring, measure the back waist stitchline for

ease. The back waist stitchline should equal one-
half the body waist measurement plus h" (1 .3 x

cm) If necessary, add the ease at the top of the

side seam on the skirt back pattern, and taper to
nothing at the hip.

226
 The kick pleat in the finished skirt will hang
better if the fabric in the pleat extends all the way
to the waistline, where
can be secured into the
it

waistline seam. If the pleat in your pattern ap-

pears as in the illustration on the left, adjust your
pattern.
Add 3" (7.6 cm) to your pattern at center
back from waist to the bottom of the skirt. (If you
areworking with a heavyweight fabric, it would
be wiser to make a vent rather than a pleat, to
avoid bulk. See page 209.)
Mark the top of the pleat on the original
center back seamline.The length of the pleat
opening should equal about one-half the total
length of the finished skirt.

n^

Follow the instructions in Chapter 5 for the

layout and cutting of the skirt front and back.
On the wrong side of the fabric, chalkmark
• The darts
• The bottom of the zipper
• The 3" (7.6 cm) kick-pleat extension
• The hem foldline
On the wrong side of the fabric, tailor tack
• The bottom of the darts
• The foldline from the top of the pleat to
thehem / ^nnnnnnnyi,./.«^.n
>

,t\ ft A A AAnn/1A/lAimiM\^A!lL
• The hem foldline

227
 Cut the lining '/s" (3 mm) larger than the
skirt front and back pieces, at the waist and side
seams. The lining is cut flush with the bottom of
the skirt.

Chalkmark on the lining (right side of the

fabric) a line indicating the 3" (7.6 cm) extension
and mark the top of the pleat.
for the kick pleat,
The back darts are sewn, and pressed to-
ward the side seams.

Place the skirt back lining and the skirt back, Fold the skirt and lining fabric using the
wrong side to wrong side, and baste together center back line of basting as a guide, right sides
from waist to hem along the center. Work from of thegarment fabric touching. Press the fold,
the lining side, and baste little ripples of ease in and then baste along the 3" (7.6 cm) kick pleat
the lining as you stitch. Since the lining and the extension from waist to skirt bottom. This basting
be stitched together, this ease is neces-
skirt will catches two layers of lining and two layers of
sary to ensure that the lining will not pull on the garment fabric. Machine-stitch from the waist to
center back seam of the skirt and prevent it from the top of the kick pleat, tacking well at the top
falling gracefully. of the pleat.
The basting stitches which run from the top
of the pleat to the hem, are left in the fabric for
the moment in order to guarantee accuracy in

pressing the pleat foldline.

228
 Press the pleat to the left side of the skirt. With the back of the skirt prepared, we will
move on to the construction of the front crescent
pockets.

THE CRESCENT POCKET

side

facing

For these pockets you need patterns

will yoke pattern on the skirt front and
Place the
labelled crescent pocket facing and crescent mark notches at the waist and side seams.
pocket yoke, found on pages 301 and 303. Trace
these patterns onto oaktag or sturdy paper for
use.

229
 Place the facing pattern on the skirt front, If, as our design, you have chosen to add
in

notch to notch, and chalkmark the inner curve. shirring to the front of your skirt, stop at this
Remove the pattern. point in the construction of the pockets, and
attend to the placement of the shirring tape.

tape long
Cut a piece of
enough
W (1.9 cm) wide
to extend across the top of the
shirring

skirt front 1
" (2.5 cm) from either end. Place the
shirring tape on the wrong side of the fabric
along the waistline cutting edge. Machine-baste-
stitch the tape to the skirt Vs" (3 mm) from the

top edge. Stitch a second row U n (6 mm) below x

the first row of stitches. Leave excess thread at

the end of each row. These threads will eventu-
ally be pulled to create the shirring.

Trim the fabric above the curve.

Now continue with the pocket construc-

tion. Place the lining yoke on the wrong side of
Use the yoke pattern to cut two yokes for the skirt, to extend 'A" (6 mm) above the waist,
each pocket, one from garment fabric and one and "A" (6 mm) out at the side seam.
from lining fabric, both on the straight grain. The
lining yoke should be cut about '/V (6 mm)
larger than the pattern all around.

Place the facing at the pocket curve, right

Use the crescent pocket facing pattern and sides touching, and baste it in place, catching the
cut from garment fabric, one facing for each lining yoke as you baste.
pocket. Overcast the outer edge of the facing by Machine-stitch the facing and the lining
machine or by hand, or press a 'A" (6 mm) hem yoke to the skirt using a '/s" (3 mm) seam along
to the wrong side. the pocket curve.

230

==
 Trim the lining above the pocket curve. On the wrong side, machine stitch the
outer edge of the facing to the lining yoke. Catch
only the lining and not the front of the skirt.

Place the right side of the garment fabric

Turn the facing and stay stitch it to the seam yoke to the wrong side of the skirt, the notches
allowance. Stitch close to the seam. on the yoke matching the top and the side of the
pocket curve. Baste in place.

Stitch on top of the topstitching for about

W (1cm) at the top and at the side of the
.9

pocket curve to secure the yoke to the skirt.

Bring the stay-stitching and the seam about

Vie" (1.5 mm) to the wrong side, so that the
seam will not be visible from the right side. On the wrong side, baste, and then ma-
chine stitch the garment fabric yoke and the
lining yoke together.

Press the facing in place, being careful not

to stretch the bias pocket curve. Trim theseam allowance evenly around the
On the right side of the by
fabric, topstitch inside of the pocket, and overcast the edges.
hand or by machine, 'A" (6 mm) from the edge The pocket is complete. We now move on
of the pocket. to the shirring at the skirt's center front.

231
SHIRRING AT THE CENTER FRONT

Pull the shirring threads until the skirt front Place the skirt front and skirt back together,
waistline measures exactly one-half the body right sides touching. Baste, and then machine
waist measurement. (If the skirt has no shirring or stitch the side seams.
pleats at the waistline, the front would have to The back lining is not caught in this seam.
measure one-half the body waist measurement, From the bottom of the zipper area to the waist
plus }
h" (1.3 cm) ease.) use a longer machine stitch. These stitches are
placed only to provide an accurate foldline for
pressing the seam in this area.
Press the side seams open.
The zipper is now inserted following in-
structions on page 218. Finish the bottom edge
of the skirt using the Hong Kong piping demon-
strated on pages 2 9-220. 1

ASSEMBLING SKIRT AND SKIRT LINING

Place the skirt front to the skirt back lining,

right sides touching. Baste, and then machine
stitch the side seams. Tack well at the bottom of
the zipper, using a longer machine stitch from
the zipper to the waist.
Press the lining seams open.

232
 Pin the lining and the skirt together at the Remove the basting stitches in the zipper
waist, wrong side to wrong side, matching the area of the lining, and baste the lining fold along
side seams and the center front and back. the zipper tape. Keep the lining a safe distance
The lining will be larger than the skirt at the from the zipper teeth, to avoid the possibility of
waist, since we have neither shirring nor darts in being caught in the mechanism.
the lining. Back stitch the lining to the zipper tape.
The bottom of the lining, and the skirt hem
are completed as per instructions beginning on

mr
page 222.

Baste around the waistline distributing the

ease evenly within each quarter of the skirt, by
folding small flat pleats in the lining.

233
THE SELF-BACKED WAISTBAND

1 W back front 3
/V back front W
page 224, we demonstrate the con-
On Open the waistband fabric, and place the
struction of a waistband backed with grosgrain stiffening along the foldline on the wrong side of
ribbon, an excellent waistband which can cer- the fabric. The "front" end of the stiffening
tainly be used on this skirt. The use of the should be on your right-hand side. There should
grosgrain-backed waistband is most valuable on be W (1.9 cm) of garment fabric beyond the
skirts made of bulky fabric, since the grosgrain stiffening at either end.
eliminates one layer of the bulky fabric in the Machine-stitch the stiffening to the garment
waistband. your fabric not bulky, or you do fabric '/V (6 mm) below the fold. Stop stitching
If

not have grosgrain, or simply as an

is if

alternative, W (1 .9 cm) before either end of the stiffening.

we here demonstrate the self-backed waistband.
Cut a strip of waistband stiffening equal in

length to the waist measurement plus h" 1

,

(3.8 cm). We suggest 1" (2.5 cm) wide stiffen-

ing, since it is less likely to buckle with wear.
Working from measure and
right to left,

mark body waist

off one-half the measurement
for the front of the waistband, one-half the body
waist measurement for the back of the waist-
band, and h" (3.8 cm) as an underlap
1
]

extension.

Cut a piece of garment fabric, on cross-

grain, equal in length to the body waist measure-
ment, plus 3" (7.6 cm). The width of the fabric is
twice the width of the stiffening, plus your waist- Place the waistband at the top edge of the
line seam allowance top and bottom. skirt, right side to right side. On the skirt front, the
edge of the stiffening should fall at the zipper
seam. On the skirt back, the stiffening extends
beyond the 17?" (3.8 cm). Pin the
zipper by
waistband to the skirt at the side seams, the
center front and back. Baste the waistband to
the skirt, distributing the h" (1.3 cm) waistline
]

ease evenly at the back.

Fold the waistband fabric in half length- Machine-stitch the waistband to the skirt

wise, wrong sides touching, and press the fold. using a '//' (1.3 cm) seam.

234
 Prick-stitch along the bottom edge of the
wrong side of the waistband. Stitchthrough all
layers,but do not allow the stitches to show on
Working from the wrong side of the skirt, the right side of the waistband. Press the waist-
press the waistline seam up toward the waist- band from the inside.
band; and press the top seam allowance down
on top of the stiffening.

Fold the waistband down, and tuck the

bottom edge of the stiffening under the waistline
seam allowance.
Trim the corners of the waistband seam
allowance.

•n

At either end of the waistband, fold the Use a blanket stitch to secure a skirt hook
garment fabric neatly along the stiffening, and and eye. A small snap will hold the extension in
press. place.
On the wrong side of the garment, baste
the waistband in place along the waist seamline.

235
3. SKIRT WITH PLEATS
• Three pleats from waist to hem at
left front
• Pocket in right-hand side seam
• Grosgrain waistband

front view back view

Choose a commercial pattern for this skirt,

or, if you wish, modify the front of any straight

skirt pattern as follows:
1. Press three pleats, each about 1"
(2.5 cm) deep, into a large piece of brown
paper.

236
2. Place the skirt front pattern on top of the
pleated paper, so that the pleats fall on the
left side of the skirt,and open out toward the
side, rather than toward the center. Make
sure that the pleats sre parallel to the
arrow on the pattern.
grainline
3. With your pattern placed correctly over the
pleats, chalkmark on the pleated paper a line
indicating the center front of the skirt.

4. Trace around the edge of the pattern, first on

the left (pleated) side of the skirt, then on the
right side.
5. Transfer onto the pleated paper, markings
indicating the hemline, the bottom of the
zipper, and the dart on the right side of the
skirt front. The dart on the left side of the skirt

is not marked at this time. It will be handled

during the construction of the skirt.

6. Remove the straight skirt pattern.

7. Add h" ]
cm) at the bottom of each side
(1.3
seam on your new paper pattern. Taper the
l
h* .3 cm) to nothing at the hip. This extra
( 1

fabric will enable the pleats to fall comfort-

ably, and make them less inclined to open
out.
Make
same addition at the bottom
the
of the sideseams on the skirt back pattern.
8. Cut out your new paper pattern, and open
out the pleats.

237
 Use the layout and cutting instructions in On the right side of the fabric chalkmark,
Chapter 5 to cut the front and back skirt pieces. lightly.
On the wrong side of the fabric chalkmark: • The dart
• Thebottom of the zipper • The pleat foldlines
• The hem foldline

To cut the skirt front lining, fold a 2" (5 cm)

pleat into a length of lining fabric.

238
 With the skirt hem pressed up, press each
With the pleats in your skirt front pattern pleat foldline separately. Work on the right side
folded closed, place the pattern on top of the of the fabric, using a damp presscloth.
lining, so that the pleats in the pattern fall directly
on top of the pleat in the lining.
There is no need for a pleat in the skirt back
lining.

Cut the front and back lining 7s" (3 mm)

largerthan the pattern at the waist and side
seams, and flush with the pattern at the hem.

Then, press the pleats flat. Any ridges that

appear on the front of the skirt because of the
pleatsunderneath, can easily be pressed out
To avoid these ridges altogether (and if you
later.

have the patience), you might place strips of

brown paper under each pleat fold.
Baste two rows of stitches across the pleats
at hip level. These stitches will hold the pleats in
place while we take care of the dart allowance
Fold and press the hem on the skirt front. on the left side of the skirt front.

239
 >

Measure the top of the dart which ison the On the wrong side of the fabric, press the

right side of the skirt front, and divide that mea- underlayer of the pleats flat, in the area above
surement into thirds. the hipline. The movement of the pleats to com-
Working on the right side of the garment pensate for the dart will have created a slight
fabric,add one-thi r d of the dart measurement to disruption of the fabric on the underside. A good
the right of each pleat fold at the waistline, and pressing should be able to handle this disruption
chalkmark. without difficulty.

Machine-topstitch one row along the

foldline of each pleat, from waist to hipline. End
the stitchline at the fold, or take three or four
stitches onto the pleat. Secure the end of the
stitchline, by bringing the threads to the inside

and knotting them.

The dart on the right side of the skirt front is

sewn, and pressed toward the side seam.

Move the top of each pleat over to the

chalkmark, and baste the pleatsmoothly in
place, from waist to hipline. This procedure re-
produces on the left side of the skirt, the shaping
that will be produced by the dart on the right
side of the skirt.

240
THE SIDE SEAM POCKET

On the right-hand side of the skirt front, on

the wrong side of the fabric, mark the placement
of the side seam pocket. The pocket opening is
6" (15.2 cm) long, beginning 2" (5 cm) below
the waist stitchline.
The zipper will be placed in the left-hand
side seam.

Cut a strip of lining, straight grain, 7" by stitch the side seams, tacking well at the bottom
l
h" (17.8 by 1.3 cm), to be used as reinforce- of the zipper, and at the top and bottom of the
ment at the pocket opening. pocket opening.
On the wrong side of the skirt front, center From the bottom of the zipper area to the
the lining strip on the seamline. The strip should waist, and in the pocket opening area, use a
extend y
h" (1.3cm) above and below the larger machine stitch. These larger stitches are
pocket opening. placed in the zipper and pocket area only to
Baste the lining strip in place by stitching provide an accurate foldline for pressing the
along the edge, in seam allowance.
the skirt seam, and will be removed shortly.
Place the skirt front and back together, with Press the side seams open.
right sides touching. Baste and then machine-

241
 v

Cut a piece of facing from garment fabric,

straight grain, nap down, 2 h" by 8" (6.4 by ]

20.3 cmj. front front back

Press a VV (6 mm) hem to the wrong side
of the fabric along the left lengthwise edge. (If

your fabric is heavyweight, overcast the edge

instead of folding it, to avoid bulk.)

To create the pocket, machine-stitch the

unfaced piece of pocketing to the front seam
allowance of the skirt, and the faced piece of
pocketing, facing down, to the back seam allow-
ance. Use a 'A" (6 mm) seam.

Cut two pieces of lining, straight grain, to

be used as pocketing, h" by 6'h" (29.2 by

1 1
]

16.5 cm). On each piece, round off the bottom

edge of one corner.

raw edge of the facing along the

Place the Press the pocketing back, and machine-
straightedge of one of the pocketing pieces, staystitchalong the folded edge of each piece of
with the curved edge of the pocketing on your pocketing. Catch only the lining and the seam
right-hand side. Machine-topstitch the facing to allowance. These stitches do not go through to
the pocketing. the front of the fabric.

242
 Press both pieces of pocketing toward the On the right side of the skirt front fabric,
front of the skirt. Rather than slash the back seam remove the basting at the pocket opening, and
allowance in order to let the pocket fall forward, top-stitch by hand along the edge of the pocket
simply overlap the seam allowance and press it opening. You will be stitching through two lay-
flat. ers of garment fabric, and the reinforcement strip
Stitch around the outer edge of the pocket- which is in-between. Stitch a bartack at top and
ing and into the seam allowance. To prevent bottom. The pocket is complete.
raveling overcast the outer edge of the pocketing The zipper is now inserted following in-
by machine or by hand, or use pinking shears. structions on page 218. Finish the bottom edge
of the skirt using the Hong Kong piping demon-
strated on pages 219-220.

Baste the top of the pocketing across the

skirt waistline, placing a small amount of ease in

the pocketing.

243
ASSEMBLING SKIRT AND SKIRT LINING

Place the skirt front and skirt back lining

together, right sides touching. Baste, and then

machine-stitch the side seams. Tack well at the
bottom of the zipper area, using a longer ma-
chine stitch from the zipper area to the waist.
Press the side seams open.

Pin the lining and skirt together at the Remove the basting stitches in the zipper
waist, with wrong sides touching, matching the area of the lining, and baste the lining fold a\ong
side seams and the center front and back. the zipper tape. Keep the lining a safe distance
The pleat which was folded into the skirt from the zipper teeth, to avoid the possibility of
front lining should fall at the same position as the being caught in the zipper mechanism. Back-
pleats on the skirt. Since there are no darts in the stitch the lining to the zipper tape.
lining, the lining will be slightly larger than the
skirt at the waist. Baste around the waistline,
distributing the ease evenly by folding small, flat
pleats in the lining.

244
THE GROSGRAIN WAISTBAND

back front

Beginning just beyond the overlap, mark

off a length of ribbon equal to one half the
body waist measurement, for the back of the
skirt, and one half the body waist measurement
for the front of the skirt.

The grosgrain waistband, also called the

invisible waistband, is on the inside of the skirt.
This waistband is ideal when there is a difficult
problem in matching fabric design. It is also often
chosen by women who prefer not to call atten-
tion to their waistlines, or for reasons of comfort.
The measurement of the skirt at the waist
stitchline should equal the body waist measure-
ment plus " (2.5 cm) ease.
1

Chalkmark the waist stitchline at the top

edge of the skirt.

Place the inner curve of the grosgrain Ve"

(3 mm) above the waist chalkline, on the right
side of the fabric. Pin the grosgrain to the skirt,

matching side seams and center front and back.

Baste the grosgrain to the skirt, distributing
the ease in the skirt evenly.

Cut a piece of grosgrain ribbon about 5"

(12.7 cm) longer than the body waist measure-
ment. We suggest ribbon about 1" (2.5 cm)
wide. Ribbon wider than this will be inclined to
buckle. Shape the grosgrain using the iron, and a
moderate amount of steam.

Steam press the skirt waistline on the right

side of the fabric, using a ham. This pressing
should eliminate any ripples in the garment fabric
at the waistline, due to the fact that we have
With the outer edge of the curve at the top, deliberately made the top of the cm) skirt I
* (2.5
fold back 1" (2.5 cm) at the left end of the largerthan the waistband. It is necessary to press
grosgrain. Machine-stitch the overlap of ribbon these ripples out before we machine-stitch the
in place. waistband to the skirt.

245
 Machine-topstitch along the edge of the On the right side of the fabric, ripples of
grosgrain, being very careful not to stretch the ease will again be visible at the top edge of the
waistline of the skirt as you sew. skirt. Place the waistline over a ham, and steam
press the ripples away. It is essential to use a
ham, in order to maintain the shape of the
garment while eliminating the ripples.

front

The grosgrain which extends beyond the Back-stitch by hand along the top edge of
zipper at the front of the skirt is folded in half, and the skirt on the right side of the fabric. This
then, in half again, and machine-stitched in stitchline will keep the grosgrain in place, and
place. will produce a firm edge at the waistline.

/
skirt back/wrong side
X

Using the waist chalkline as foldline. bring On the wrong side of the skirt front, place a

the grosgrain to the wrong side of the skirt. Baste small hook on the grosgrain fold at the zipper
along the top edge of the grosgrain, to hold it in edge. Half of the hook is under the grosgrain,
place. and half on top. Stitch the hook in place.

246
 An eye is placed on the wrong side of the A larger, skirt hook and eyeadded to the
is

skirt back, underneath the grosgrain. The front grosgrain to secure the extension. The waist-
end of the grosgrain is now stitched securely to band is complete.
the zipper tape, clear of the zipper teeth.

247
8 Pants
THE PANTS POCKETS

side pocket

back pocket

western pocket

If, as suggested in the Pattern unit (page

11), you have chosen a pants pattern designed
for side pockets, you will now be able to create
any of the three basic front pockets detailed
here— the slant pocket, the Western pocket or
the side pocket.
The back pocket, shown here, is a double-
piping pocket, with or without a buttonhole tab.
Patterns for all four pockets discussed here
are found beginning on page 291

248
THE SLANT POCKET

front

If your pattern is designed for slant pockets,

the pants front pattern has probably been cut on
the diagonal at the top of the side seam.
Ifyou would like to put slant pockets in
trousers which have been designed for side
pockets, you can adjust your pattern by using
the slant yoke pattern on page 295.
Place the slant yoke on the pants front
the top of the side seam. Chalkmark the
fabric, at

notches at the waist and side seam, and remove

the pattern. The pattern assumes a pants side
seam allowance of 5
/s" (1 .9 cm).

249
 Use the revised slant yoke pattern and cut
from garment fabric, on straight grain, nap
down, one yoke for each pocket. Press to the
wrong side of the fabric '/V (6 mm) hems at the
bottom of the yoke and at the unnotched side.

Chalkmark a line from notch to notch, and

then add a second line, }
W
(6 mmj above the
first as seam allowance. Trim the fabric above the

seam allowance. Do not throw this trimmed

piece away.
Using the pattern labelled side and slant
facing on page 297, cut from garment fabric, on
straight grain, one piece of facing for each
pocket. On the longest side edge of each piece,
press a 'A" (6 mm) hem to the wrong side.

6"
Pin thetrimmed piece of fabric to the slant
yoke pattern, aligning the fabric to the notches
on the yoke.
The side edge of the fabric will most likely 12'
be different from the side edge of the yoke
pattern. If the pants pattern fits you, the fabric Cut one piece of pocketing for each pocket,
edge will coincide more closely to the contour of 16" (40.6 cm) wide and 12" (30.5 cm) long, on
your body. Therefore, use this revised version of straight grain. Fold the pocketing in half and trim
the yoke as you continue to work. the bottom outer corners to a curve.

250
 Place one piece of pocketing on the wrong On the right side, topstitch along the diago-
side of the pants front, extending 'A" mm) nal edge about '/V mm) from the fold.
above the top of the pants, and
at the side
W (1.6
seam. Place the facing right side
(6
cm) out
(6

down on the pants front, the unfolded edge of

the facing flush with the diagonal cut at the top
of the pants. Machine-stitch the facing, pants,
and pocketing together, using a '/V (6 mm)
seam along the diagonal edge.

On the wrong side, topstitch along the

folded edge of the facing, attaching the facing to
the pocketing only. These stitches do not go
through to the front of the pants.

Trim away the pocketing above the facing.

Bring the facing and the facing seam to the Place the yoke, notch to notch, at the top
wrong side of the pants, and press in place. of the pants side seam, and pin it in place.

25
 Fold the pocketing in half, matching the
curved edges. Pin the yoke to the pocketing.

Turn the pocket right side out and press.

Open out the pocketing and topstitch the Topstitch around the pocketing seam X
W
yoke to the pocketing. (6 mm) from the edge.
Just below the pocket opening, on the side
of the pocketing closest to the garment fabric,

slash about 1" (2.5 cm) into the pocketing and

facing. This slash will eventually enable you to
hold the pocket aside while the side seams are
being sewn. The side seams will be sewn only
after all pockets and the fly have been
constructed.

Fold the pocketing once more, inside out

this time, in order to begin a French seam. Begin
V2" (1.3 cm) below the side notch using a 3 /s"
(1 cm) seam, and taper the seam to '/s" (3 mm)

at the curve and across the bottom of the jacket.

252
 THE SIDE POCKET

12"

14"

12"

Cut one piece of pocketing for each pocket,

on 12" (30.5 cm) long and 14"
straight grain,
(35.6 cm) wide. Fold the pocketing in half on the
width, and trim the outside bottom edges into a
curve (as illustrated).

Theside pocket is placed in the side seam

on the front of the pants. The pocket opening is
between 6" (15.2 cm) and 6'h" (16.5 cm) long,
and begins 2" (5 cm) down from the top edge.
Notch the top and bottom of the pocket
opening. The notches should be no deeper than
'/s" (3 mm).

U
Using the pattern labelled side and slant
facing on page 297, cut from garment fabric, on Place one piece of pocketing on the wrong
straight grain, one piece of facing for each side
pocket. On the longest edge of each piece, press
side of the trouser front, allowing
pocketing to extend beyond the lower notch,
W (1 .6 cm)

a 'A" (6 mm) hem to the wrong side. and W ( 1 cm) at the center of the waistline.

253
 one facing piece face down on top of
Place Bring the facing out to the side of the
the side seam, 'A?" (1.3 cm) below the top. trousers, and topstitch the facing to the seam
Chalkmark the notches on the facing. Machine- allowance, very close to the seam.
from notch to notch, using a 5 /s" (1 .6 cm)
stitch

seam allowance at the top and bottom of the

pocket opening, tapering to a 3 /s" cm) seam
( 1

allowance at the center. Tack well at the top and

bottom of the stitchline.

The pocketing and garment fabric is now Bring the facing to the wrong side of the
slashed right to the stitchline at each notch. The pants front. The facing seam should also be
excess fabric is trimmed away, leaving a 'A" drawn to the edge of the wrong side, so that it is
(6 mm) seam allowance along the stitchline. not from the front. On the right side,
visible

topstitch along the pocket opening, 'A" (6 mm)

from the edge. Tack well at the top and bottom.

254
 On the wrong side, the folded edge of the The pocketing is now folded over, on top of
facing is topstitched to the pocketing. Catch the the facing. Make sure that the curved edges of
pocketing and facing only. These stitches do not the pocketing are even. Pin through the pocket-
go through to the right side of the pants. ing and catch the facing underneath.

Place the second facing piece, face down With the pocketing opened out, topstitch
on top of the matching edges at the top and
first, the second facing piece to the pocketing.
bottom. The folded edge should be facing up.

255
 The pocketing is again folded, this time below the pocket opening, on the side
Just
inside out, in order to begin aFrench seam. Pull of the pocketing closest to the garment fabric,
the trouser leg up and out of your way. Begin slash about 1" (2.5 cm) into the pocketing and
with a 3 /s" (1 cm) seam at the bottom of the the facing. This slash will eventually enable you
pocket opening, and taper to '/a" (3 mm) as you to hold the pocket aside as the side seam is being
stitch around the curve and across the bottom of sewn. The pocketing is not to be caught in the
the pocketing. side seam.
The side seam be sewn only after all the
will

pockets and the fly have been constructed.

Turn the pocketing and press. Topstitch

around the bottom of the pocketing again, "A"
(6 mm) from the edge to complete the French
seam.

256
THE WESTERN POCKET

The western pants pocket opens at the top If, however, you would like to put a west-
below the waistband.
of the trousers, just ern pocket on which was de-
a pair of pants
signed for a side pocket, use the pattern marked
western shaper on page 293. Place the pattern on
the front of the trousers, and chalkmark the
notches at the waistline and side cutting edges.
Chalkmark, also, along top edge of the pattern.

Ifyour pants pattern was designed for a Remove the pattern and trim away the top
western pocket, the top edge of the trousers will of the pants, cutting along the chalk guideline.
most likely have been cut away (as illustrated).

257
 .%"
Use the pattern labelled western yoke on
page 29 and cut from garment fabric, on the
1 ,

straight grain, one yoke for each pocket.

Chalkmark the notches at the topand side
edges; and at bottom edge, press a '/V
(6 mm) hem to the wrong side.

Place one piece of pocketing on the wrong

side of the trouser front, allowing '/V (6 mm) to
extend above the waistline, and 5
/s" (1.6 cm)
Using the pattern labelled western facing on out at the side notch.
page 293, cut from garment fabric, on cross-
grain, one piece of facing for each pocket. At the
longest edge, press a "A" (6 mm) hem to the
wrong side.

Place the facing, right sides together, on top

of the pants front, top edges even, and notch
the side of the facing. Machine-stitch down from
the waistline notch, and then across the top of
the facing, very close to the edge. As you curve
to the side notch, increase your seam allowance
to 5 /s" (1.6 cm) the amount of the side seam
allowance on the pants. Stitch across, just below
the notch at the side seam.

From pocketing material, 12" (30.5 cm) by

14" (35.6 cm), on the straight grain, cut one
piece for each pocket.
Fold the pocketing on the width and trim
the outer bottom edges into a curve.

258
 Trim away the pocketing at the top of the Topstitch a '/V (6 mm) seam across the top
trousers. of the pocket, around and out at the notch.

At the top of the facing, and at the side

notch, slash to the stitchline.

On the wrong side, stitch the folded edge

of the facing to the pocketing. Catch only the
facing and pocketing, and not the front of the
trousers.

Turn the facing to the wrong side and press

in place, so that the facing seamline is not visible
from the right side of the fabric.

259
 Fold the pocketing on top of the yoke,
matching the curves at the bottom edges of the
pocketing. Pin through the top layer of pocket-
ing to catch the yoke underneath.

Place the right side of the yoke to the

wrong side of the pants front, notch to notch,
and pin the yoke in place. The folded hem at the
bottom of the yoke should be visible from the
wrong side.

With the yoke secured in place, open out

the pocketing, and topstitch the yoke to the
pocketing.

260
 Just below the pocket opening, on the side
of the pocketing closest to the garment fabric,
Fold the pocketing once more, this time, slash about 1" (2.5 cm) into the pocketing and
inside out, in order to begin a French seam. facing. This slash will eventually enable you to
3
Begin a cm) seam at the side of the
I&" (1 hold the pocket aside as the side seam is being
pocket, to /a" (3 mm) at the curve
and taper ]

sewn. The pocketing is not to be caught in the

and across the bottom. side seam. The side seams will be sewn only
after all pockets and the fly have been con-
structed.

Turn the pocket and press. Topstitch once On the right side of the pocket, topstitch
more around the pocketing, 'A" (6 mm) from two vertical rows of stitching attaching the yoke
the edge, completing the French seam. to the pants front. Tack one diagonal row of
stitching at the bottom of these stitchlines.
At the side notch, topstitch the pants front
into the pocketing, using one diagonal row of
stitching. The western pocket is complete.

26
THE BACK POCKET

Use the patterns labelled back piping (page

295) and back facing (page 297), and cut from
garment fabric, on crossgrain, one piping and
one facing piece for each pocket.
Press one 'A" (6 mm) lengthwise hem to
The back pants pocket is a double-piping the wrong side of each piece.

pocket, with or without buttonhole tab, con-

structed somewhat differently from the double-
piping pocket for jackets.

&. j
From pocketing material, cut two pieces, 8"
(20.3 cm) by 7" (17.8 cm), straight grain. With
the pocketing pieces together, trim top and bot-
tom (as illustrated).

The pocket placement line, 5"-5'/2" (12.7-

14 cm) long, is drawn on a slight curve, the
center of the line being about Ve" (3 mm) lower
than the sides. This curve will help prevent the
pocket from gaping open when not in use. The
pocket placement line is drawn at the bottom of
the darts, and 2" (5 cm) from the side stitchline.
Check the length of the darts.If they are longer

than 3'/2" (8.9 cm), the pocket will be too low,

and you will end up sitting on whatever you Place one piece of pocketing on the wrong
keep in the back pocket. Simply shorten the darts side of the pants back, allowing '/V (6 mm) of
to 3 ]
h" (8.9 cm) to avoid the possibility of this pocketing to show above the pants at the center
discomfort. of the pocket.

262

ir*a
 Draw the pocket placement line on the Draw the piping to the wrong side, and
wrong side of the piping and baste the piping to baste around the pocket opening, leaving a thin
the pants along this line, catching the pocketing edge of piping visible above and below. Steam
underneath as you baste. press the pocket from the right side.

m 1 a;

Using a small machine-stitch (about sixteen Machine-stitch on the right side of the trou-
stitches per inch), sew completely around the sers, very close to the sides and bottom edge of
pocket placement line. Stitch '/s" (3 mm) above the piping.
and below the line, and exactly at the beginning
and end of the line at either side.

Slash through the center of the stitchlines, On the wrong machine

and cut W (1 cm) prongs at either end.
side,
folded edge of the piping to the pocketing.
topstitch the

263

On the inside of the pants, place the facing
right side down, and center it on top of the
pocket opening. The folded edge on the facing
should be visible.
Place the second piece of pocketing on top
of the first, matching the edges. Pin through the
second piece of pocketing and catch the facing.
The broken line in this illustration indicates the
position of the facing under the pocketing.
Now that the exact placement of the facing
has been determined, the second piece of pock-
eting is removed, so that the facing can be
machine-stitched to it. Topstitch across the bot-
tom edge of the facing, along the folded edge.
264
The two pocketing pieces are again placed
together, this time, inside out, in order to begin a
French seam. The trouser leg will have to be
pulledup and out of your way. Stitch around the
pocket using a la" (3 mm) seam.
]
Turn the pocketing, and press. Stitch
around the pocketing once more, this time 'A"
(6 mm) from the edge, to complete the French
seam.
The buttonhole tab is constructed from a
strip garment fabric, straight grain,
of 1h n (3.8
,
cm) by 4" (10.2 cm). Stitch the strip lengthwise,
using a 3 /s" (1 cm) seam, and press the seam
open.
Turn thestrip to the right side, and press the
seam to the center. The strip is now folded into
an anow shape and topstitched (as illustrated).
 Insert the tab into the pocket opening, leav- To complete the back trouser pocket, sew a
5
ing a /s" (1 .6 cm) slit in the tab below the top V2" (1.3 cm) button just below the bottom pip-
piping. ing.

Topstitch at the sides and across the top of

the pocket, very close to the piping.

THE PANTS FLY

Cut two bias strips of pocketing to be used Trim the bias strips to the shape of the fly
as reinforcement for the fly. The strips should be extension, and baste them to the wrong side of
wide enough to extend '//' (1.3 cm) beyond the each fly, "A" (6 mm) from the edge of the
fly foldline, and long enough to extend from the garment fabric.
waist to the bottom of the fly.

265
 On the right front, fold and press the fly At the bottom of the left fly, slash into the
along the fly foldline. The reinforcement will be crotch seam allowance. Slash very close to what
caught in the fold. Baste the fly in place. will be the crotch stitchline.
Turn and press the lining to the wrong side
of the fly, and baste along the outer edge.

Trim the bottom ends of the zipper tape to

A" (6 mm) below the zipper stop. With the
zipper face down, fold and press a hem, 'A"
(6 mm), along the left side of the zipper tape.
Baste the folded edge of the zipper tape
On the right side of the left front, baste and along the edge of the fly foldline. The metal stop
then machine-stitch a straight-grain strip of lining at the bottom of the zipper should be ]

h"
to the outer edge of the fly, using a '/s" (3 mm) (1.3cm) above the notch which we cut at the
seam. The lining strip should extend about 1" bottom of the fly. Using a zipper foot, machine-
(2.5 cm) beyond the fly foldline. This strip will stitch the zipper to the fly, tacking well at top and
serve as facing. bottom.

266
 On the wrong side, the zipper seam allow- At the waistline, the right front should over-
ance concealed by folding first the reinforce-
is lap the by 'A" (6 mm), and taper naturally to
left

ment, and then the fly-facing on top of the the bottom of the zipper. Baste the fly closed;
reinforcement. The lining and reinforcement are basting close to the fold on the edge of the right
basted and then machine-stitched or slip-stitched front.
along the edge. The garment fabric is not caught
in these stitches.

On the inside, pull the left fly aside, and

machine-stitch the zipper to the right fly. Only
the and the zipper are caught in these
fly

Place the two pants fronts together, right stitches,and not the front of the pants. Machine-
sides touching, and stitch along the crotch seam stitch two rows on the zipper tape; one very
from the notch to " (2.5 1
cm) from the inseams. close to the zipper teeth, the other at the edge of
Tack well at either end. the tape.

267
 About 1cm) from center front, on
X
U" (3.2
the right front of the pants, chalkmark a line
parallel to the folded edge of the fly, and curve
the line to the center front, V2" (1 .3 cm) below
the bottom of the zipper. Baste through the front
of the pants, catching the right fly [but not the
left) underneath.
Machine-topstitch along the chalkline, from
the waist around to the notch, catching only the
right fly underneath. Tack well at the notch. The
fly is complete.

THE PANTS SIDE SEAMS

The pants side seams are sewn only after all Cut a bias strip of pocketing about 8" [20.3
pockets and the fly have been completed, and cm) long and 1
l
h" cm) wide, to be used as
(3.8
before beginning the construction of the waist- reinforcement for the hip area of the side seam.
band. Baste the reinforcement to the wrong side
If you are not lining the pants, follow the of the back of the pants, at the top of the side
instructions given here for reinforcing the top of seam. Machine-stitch the pants side seams, be-
the side seam, and finishing the edge of the ing sure to keep the front pockets out of the way
pocket. as you stitch. The reinforcement is caught in the
If the pants will be lined, the reinforcement stitchline.
and pocket finishing is not necessary. Simply
stitch the side seams and press them open.

268
 Press the seam open.

Bring the pocketing strip forward, fold it

over the pants seam allowance, and press it in

place.
Fold and press the edge of the front pocket-
ing so that it reaches just to the edge of the back
seam allowance.

269
 Machine-stitch along the edge of the front
pocketing, catching the back seam allowance,
and the reinforcement strip. Do not catch the
outside of the trousers in this stitch.

BELT LOOPS

E Z 2
Press the seam allowance open, and cut
the fabric strip before turning it to the right side. It

will be very difficult to turn a strip that is equiva-

lent to the length of four loops or more. On the
right side, press the seam allowance to the center
of the strip and cut the loops.

If you wish belt loops, or carriers at the

waistband, cut a garment fabric long
strip of
enough to construct seven loops. The length of
each loop will depend on the width of your
waistband, and the amount of seam allowance
you are using at the waistline. The loops must be Baste the belt loops on the right side of
long enough to extend from the top of the the pants, at the center of each pants front sec-
waistline seam allowance down to 'A" (6 mm) tion, at the side seam, and at the center of each
below the waist stitchline, and then extend up pants back section. The seams on the loops
and over the top of the waistband by about li" x
should be facing up. The loop for the center back
(1 .3

(1
cm).
cm) wide.
The finished loops should be about W seamline will be attached
attached to the pants.
after the waistband is

270
THE PANTS WAISTBAND

Either the grosgrain-backed waistband

(page 224) or the self-backed waistband (page
234) may be used Modify either
for the trousers.
waistband so that it is constructed in two halves,
which will be joined eventually at the center
back seam.
A center-back waistband seam is most con-
venient for alterations in trousers. At this point the inseams are sewn and
The belt loops are caught in the waistline pressed open. The center back seam is sewn

seam. from the top of the waistband, along the crotch,

to the fly. Press the seam open.

On the right side of the fabric each loop is

topstitched down 74" (6 mm) below the waist-
line seam.

With the pants turned right side out, and

the inseam and outseam of each leg aligned,
press a crease from hem to about hip level, front

and back. Press first on the inseam and then on

the outseam side of each leg.
If there are front pleats, the front crease
meets the deeper of the two pleats at the waist-
line (see page 278).

271
 At center back, 3 /s" cm) below the waist-
( 1 Ifyou have decided to line the trousers, the
line seam, place the raw edge of the last belt liningmust be constructed and attached now,
loop, seam facing up. Back-stitch the top edge of before the completion of the waistband and belt
the loop into the pants. Bring the loop up and loops.
back-stitch once more, far enough above the first If you will not be lining the trousers, move
stitches to hide the raw edge of the loop. ahead to the last instruction on page 273.

THE PANTS LINING

Cut the pants lining '/s" (3 mm) larger than With the pants and the pants lining, wrong
the pants pattern at the side seams, crotch, and sides touching, baste one layer of lining seam
center back; ]
h" ( 1 .3 cm) beyond the fly foldline, allowance, and one layer of pants seam allow-
and cm) beyond the waist cutting line.
1" (2.5 ance together along the crotch and center back
Sew lining seams, using the same seam
all seam. Finish basting about 2" (5 cm) below the
allowances as used for the pants. Press the waistline
seams open.

272
 On the left side of the pants the lining is

basted along the lining which already covers the

fly.

With the legs of the lining placed inside the

pants legs, pin the lining and pants waistline
together at the side seams, the center back seam,
and at the center of each side of the pants front.
Distribute the ease in the back of the lining,

by folding small pleats on each side of the pants.

The waistband is carefully basted in place,

and the belt loops are secured by hand at the top
of the wrong side of the waistband.

Baste the front lining along the edge of the

zipper on the right side of the pants, and then
baste across the waistline, distributing the lining With the pants inside out, baste the front
ease in small ripples. lining along the edge of the zipper on the right
side of the pants, and then baste across the
waistline, distributing the lining ease in small
ripples.

273
THE PANTS HEM

Baste the hem up, keeping the stitches

about 1
" cm) below the top of the hem. A
(2.5
piece of cardboard placed in the pants leg at the
hem, will facilitate the basting and prevent the
stitches from catching the other side of the pants.

The pants hem should reach to about the

middle of the back of the shoe, and cover the top
of the shoe in the front. If the hem hits the front
of the shoe, the pants will "break" at about
ankle level. A slight break at the front is abso-
lutely acceptable. The break or lack of is a it,

matter of preference. The top of the shoe, how-

ever, should be covered. Pin the bottom of the
pants to the desired length.

Steam press the hem flat, on the right side

of the fabric, using a presscloth.

Fold back about 3 /s" ( 1 cm) at the top of the

hem and hem-stitch the hem into the pants,
using silk finishing thread. These stitches should
not be visible on the right side of the garment;
nor should any puckering be visible, from having
pulled the thread unnecessarily tight. If the pants
Chalkmark the hem foldline on the right are lined, the lining at the hem is handled as was
side of the fabric. the jacket (page 128) or the skirt (page 232).

274
THE HEEL STAY

t D

A strip of fabric, called a heel stay, is now Cut a strip of garment fabric, about 7" 7.8 ( 1

applied to the hem back of the pants. Its

at the cm) long and 3" (7.6 cm) wide, and fold (as
purpose is to protect the hem from wear in the illustrated). Place the fabric just above the hem
area that will come into contact with the back of back of the pants. Secure
fold at the center of the
the shoe. the heel stay to the hem by back-stitching along
the folded edges, and by cross-stitching the raw
edges at either end. These stitches should catch
only the hem, and not go through to the right
side of the pants.

275
THE PANTS CUFFS

Working on the right side of the pants, fold

the fabric on line #3, and bring the fold up to
bottom edge meet line #2. This fold will be the top of the
finished cuff. Baste around the top of the cuff,
attaching it to the pants.

If you have chosen cuffs instead of a

straight hem bottom of the pants, you
for the
will have left quite a bit of fabric below what you
determined to be the bottom edge of the pants
(page 14). Now, several lines are drawn on the
right side of the fabric, as guides in creating the
cuff.

First, draw a line indicating what will be the

bottom edge of the pants; keeping in mind that

cuffed pants need to start out slightly longer U" ]

(6 mm) than those with straight hems. Some of Fold the 3 /4"
(1.9 cm) hem to the wrong
the length always gets lost in the folds. side of the pants, and baste around the bottom
Draw one line above the first, and two lines of the cuff, attaching the hem to the pants.
below it, all at a distance equal to the width of
n
the cuff. An average cuff is about fr (3.8 cm)
1
x

wide.
Below the last line leave about 3 A" (1.9 cm)
hem, and trim away whatever fabric is left at the
bottom of the pants.

k%<'V W W*^»VV
fcVUfr 'Vj ,
» ,j i ysw w
^

On the wrong side of the pants, cross-stitch

along the top of the hem, catching the inner
layer of the cuff as you stitch.

Press the cuff flat from the right side.

276
PLEATED PANTS
15/8 "1 /8 " 3/4"
5

A B C D

The procedure for making a pattern for

pleated pants from an unpleated pants pattern, is
quite simple. Cut a piece of tissue paper about 3"
(7.6 cm) longer than the measurement of your
pants front pattern from waist to knee, and
about 6" (15.2 cm) wider than the pattern.
Draw a line down the center of the tissue
from top to bottom. This line will represent the
crease line at the center front of the pants.
Draw three additional lines to the right of
the crease line, at distances indicated in the
illustration. Label the lines. A, B, C, and D.
'

Crease the paper along the length of line A,

and then bring line A over so that it touches line
B at the top of the paper.
Smooth the paper downwards, so that the
pleat disappears in the paper at a level just above
the knee.
Cover onto line D at the top of the
Fold line
paper, and smooth the paper so that the pleat
disappears a short distance from the waistline.

277
 Place your pants front pattern on top of the
folded tissue paper, so that the crease line on the
pattern and on the tissue
that coincide. If your
pattern does not have a crease drawn on
line it,

divide your pattern in half at the knee and at the

hem. Draw a line connecting these two points,
and extend the line to the waist.
Trace around the edge of your pattern from
waist to knee. Remove the unpleated pattern,
and cut out the new tissue-paper pleated pants
pattern.

This pattern is placed on top of your basic

pattern from knee to waist for cutting pleated
pants.
There is no adjustment of the basic pants
back pattern for pleated pants.

278
POCKETS IN PLEATED PANTS

There is a variation often used when con-

structing front pockets in women's pleated trou-
sers. It involves the insertion of a panel on the
inside of the front trousers, for the purpose of
controlling the graceful fall of the pleats. The
panel, which doubles as the back of the pockets,
extends from side seam to zipper. It controls the
pleatsfrom underneath, by restricting the width
of the pants front, to the width it would be if
there were no pleats. Let us demonstrate.

With the pleats in your pants front pattern

folded closed, place a piece of paper over the
pattern and cut the paper as illustrated by the
broken line:

• 'A" (6 mm) beyond the pattern cutting

line at the waist and side seam.
• 72" ( 1 .3 cm) beyond the fly foldline, from
waist to fly notch.
• 12" (30.5 cm) long at the center of the

pattern.
• 2" (5 cm) longer than the bottom of the
pocket opening at the side seam.

279
 Pattern A Pattern A

Cut out the pocket pattern and draw a line

2" (5 cm) in from the fly edge. Draw the

grainline as indicated.

Pattern B

From pocketing on the bias, cut one

fabric,

piece from pattern A, and one from pattern B for

Pattern B each pocket.

Cut out a second pattern piece, equal to the

first, minus the 2" (5 cm) at the fly edge.

The slant pocket is then constructed accord-

ing to instructions beginning on page 249, with
the substitution of one pattern B piece as the
pocketing.
Follow the instructions up to the right-hand
column on page 251

280
 Instead of folding the pocketing in half, as Stitch the two pieces of pocketing together,
indicated on page 252, place the pattern A and overcast the bottom edge.
pocketing under the pattern B pocketing, match-
ing the side and waistline edges.
Move the pins up carefully, and attach the
yoke to the pattern A pocketing.

Topstitch the yoke to the "A" pocketing. Baste the edge of the pocketing to the pants
front, V2" (1.3 cm) beyond the fly foldline. The
pocket is complete.
below the pocket opening, on the side
Just
of the pocketing closest to the garment fabric,
slash about 1" (2.5 cm) into the pocketing and
facing. This slash will eventually enable you to
hold the pocket aside while the side seams dre
being sewn.
The side seams will be sewn only after all
pockets and the fly have been constructed (see
pages 265-270)

28
9 Alterations
TAPERING THE JACKET LAPELS

Because of constant changes in fashion, a Open the facing seam from collar notch to
frequent tailoring alteration is the tapering of the bottom of the roll line,and remove the tape
jacket lapels. from the outer edge of the lapel. It is not neces-
The first step in this alteration, is to sary to remove the tape which lies across the top
chalkmark on the front of the lapel, a line indica- of the lapel, unless you are also changing this

ting the desired change in width. line.

Baste through the lapel, just beyond the Transfer onto the canvas a chalkline indica-
jacket roll line to control the layers of fabric while ting the new finished edge of the lapel.

you work.

282
 Trim the canvas (but not the garment fabric) The lapel seam allowance is now folded up
along the chalkline, and baste W cm) cotton
(

twill tape (which has been soaked in cool water

1 onto the tape, and finished according to the
instructions beginning on page 121.
and pressed) along the length of the lapel. Allow If the lapel adjustment has been of a signifi-

the tape to extend into the seam allowance, cant amount, it may now be necessary to mod-
beyond the canvas, by about ]
l\b" (1 .5 mm), to ify the collar, to maintain a pleasing balance

give the lapel a thinner edge. between collar and lapel. The collar can be
along both edges of the tape,
Slip-stitch tapered in the same manner as was the lapel, or,

using silk The stitches should go through

thread. ifyou wish, a new collar can be drafted (page
to the underside of the lapel, but should be small 156) and applied (page 142) using a new under-
enough to be all but imperceptible. collar and (if necessary) the garment fabric from
Trim the garment fabric seam allowance to the old topcollar.
3
/s" (1 cm) beyond the tape, and trim slightly
closer at the tip of the lapel.

283
ADJUSTING THE SLEEVE LENGTH

The jacket alteration done most often is Remove the cuff buttons, and, with the
probably the adjustment of the sleeve length. sleeve inside out, loosen the lining at the hem
The length of the sleeve is primarily a matter of and along the vent. Bring the lining up out of
preference, and of comfort. The jacket sleeve your work area.
may be as short as hn
v
(1.3cm) above the
bottom of the shirt cuff, or as long as is comfort-
able to your client.
Because of the layers of fabric at the sleeve
vent, the cuff is too bulky to be folded up and
pinned accurately to determine the correct
length. Chalkmark on the cuff the amount to be
shortened, or make note of the amount to be
lengthened.
Baste around the sleeve about 8" (20.3 cm)
above the hem, to control the lining while you
work.

284
 Diagonal-stitch the hem into the reinforce-
ment and slip-stitch the ends of the vent closed.

Remove the hem stitches and press out the

original hem foldline. Use a sleeve board for this
pressing, or insert a press mitt into the bottom of
the sleeve.

Baste the lining in place along the vent

(page 1 and place the lining hem fold about
70),
3
A" (1.9 cm) above the sleeve hem. Keep the
hem basting about " (2.5 cm) above the lining
1

hem fold.

Fold back the lining hem and hem-stitch

one layer of lining into one layer of garment
fabric.

Fold and press the new hemline and press a Replace the sleeve buttons (page 1 84) and
miter at the bottom of the topvent (page 168). press the sleeve (page 186).

285
RE-LINING THE JACKET

To re-line a jacket for which the pattern is With the and jacket seams aligned,
lining
not available, remove the old lining carefully. baste down and around
the center back seam
Separate the lining pieces into front, back, side, the edges of the lining (page 131). The use of a
and sleeves; and press each well. mannequin, or even a hanger, will make this job
The old lining is now used as a pattern for easier.

the new one. The front of the lining is basted and then
If there is reason to believe that the lining's attached into the facing using a slip-stitch.

poor condition is due to its being too small for Once the body lining is complete, thejacket
the jacket, add an extra Vs" (3 mm) to all vertical and lining sleeves are turned inside out so that
seams, and leave enough fabric at center back to the seam allowances of jacket and lining sleeves
create a controlled pleat (page 129). can be basted together.
Sew the front and back of the lining to- The top of the sleeve lining is folded and
gether at the side seams and anchor this lining basted to thejacket lining around the armhole,
shell into the jacket at the waistline notches. and finished with a slip-stitch.

286
ALTERING THE JACKET WIDTH

A jacket which is too wide in the body If the alteration cannot possibly avoid the

should be pinned to fit, tapering gradually into underarm, open the armhole seam, just in the
the seamline. If the jacket is too tight, do not underarm area.
open the seams in order to decide how much of
the seam allowance to let out. You have more
control over the alterations if you remove old
stitches only after the new ones are in.

287
 Open the lining at the side seam, and baste
the front and back of the jacket together just
beyond the pins. If there is significant shaping in the seam,
Transfer the pin marks to chalkmarks, and there may now be puckering at the waistline
press the seam flat. caused by pulling from the seam allowance.
Machine-stitch along the chalk guideline. Steam-press the seam allowance at the waistline,
stretching it into a reverse curve. This will
lengthen the seam allowance in the shaped area
and relieve the puckering.
f If the alteration has involved less than 1

(2.5 cm), it may be possible to ease the sleeve

back into the armhole without adjusting the
sleeve.
If, however, despite valiant effort, you find it

impossible to gracefully fit the sleeve into the

now smaller armhole, reduce the ease by taper-
ing the sleeve underarm seam. Do not taper the
back seam. This would distort the shape of the
sleeve.
With the armhole finished, replace the
jacket lining (page 174) and the sleeve lining
(page 173).

Remove the old stitches, and trim the seam

allowance. Press the seam open.

288
ALTERING SKIRTS
The alterations for the skirt are accom-
plished following the instructions given in the
muslin fitting (see pages 38-45).

ADJUSTING THE PANTS WAISTLINE

Machine-stitch the new seam, beginning at

the top of the waistband, and tapering gradually
into the crotch. Remove the old seamline, and
trim the seam allowance. you have the fabric,
If

leave as much as V2" (3.8 cm) seam allowance

1

at the top of the center back seam to allow for

future alterations. Press the seam open.

If the pants are too loose at the waistline,

pin them to fit (as illustrated), without opening
the center back seam. If the pants are too tight,

the seam must be opened first, and then pinned.

Remove the center back belt loop. Transfer Attach the center back belt loop (page
the pin marks to chalkmarks, and press the cen- 272). Back-stitch along the basted edges, using
ter back seam allowance flat. silk finishing thread.

289
TAPERING THE PANTS LEG

Pants which flare at the bottom can be

altered to a straight leg design quite simply.
With the pants inside out, and the hem
down, press the seam allowances flat. The stit-
chlines which produce the flare will be obvious
below the knee, at both the inseam and out-
seam. Draw chalklines from the knee to the
bottom of the pants, narrowing the pants leg the
same amount at the inseam and outseam.
Machine-stitch along the chalkline and trim
away the excess seam allowance.
Press the seam open.

ADJUSTING THE PANTS LENGTH

The adjustment of the pants length is done
following the directions on page 274. Before
beginning, let down the oldhem and press well.

290
Patterns

western yoke

29
293
k

back pocket piping

295
side & slant
k
pocket facing

i
back pocket facing

297
299
1 crescent pocket facing

301
J03
*os
 About the Authors

Roberto Cabrera, a native of Argentina, is a graduate of the Academy

of Design and the Buenos Aires.
French-Italian Fashion School, both in
After apprenticing with tailors in Europe and South America, he opened his
own firm— Cabrera Couture— first in Buenos Aires, and then on Madison
Avenue in New York. He has been teaching tailoring at the Fashion
Institute of Technology, New York City, since 1970.

Patricia Flaherty Meyers' background has been in the field of educa-

tion. She is a graduate of Notre Dame College and of the Association
Montessori International in London, England. She is the Director of the
Vera Gander Montessori School in New York City.

307
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